


At What Cost?

by Dream_Wreaver



Series: At What Cost Universe [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Regency, Brothels, I'm not doing research for this, Mistresses, Multi, high society - Freeform, lords and ladies, not entirely accurate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-04-17 01:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 86,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14177901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/pseuds/Dream_Wreaver
Summary: Among the bordellos that lined the red district, the most preeminent belonged to Madame Tsurugi. She boasted of only the best courtesans, the highest quality of both product and client.What happens when the young lord Adrien Agreste is sent there and comes across her newest girl Ladybug?





	1. When Everything Changed

**Author's Note:**

> I am trash, and I am sorry.

In the age before written law there was only the law of society. And even now as laws had evolved there were some comforts to society that prevented laws from being made against them. Even if those proposed laws were for the betterment of society as a whole. It was why prostitution was still legal, and the brothels of Paris enjoyed by only the finest of Parisian gentlemen. Among the bordellos that lined the red district, the most preeminent belonged to Madame Tsurugi. She boasted of only the best courtesans, the highest quality of both product and client. It was to her most lords sent their greenlad heirs to learn of their more physical duties which would come when they inherited the title.

Madame Tsurugi employed the finest women the ignoble side of Paris could offer. They were well educated, capable of holding conversation, and more than well trained in all the ways a man could be pleased. Of course, fully grown women weren't the only ones who called the brothel their home. There were younger girls, often daughters of the workers, who would later grow up to follow in their mothers’ footsteps. Or street urchin orphans who had nowhere else to go.

The most popular courtesan at Madame Tsurugi’s was the Mademoiselle Nathalie Sancoeur, known to most of her clients as Madame Paon. She could converse at length topics the men found they simply couldn’t discuss with their wives, and more than once she had been requested, nay _implored_ to become the mistress of one lord or another. She always said no. She had other obligations.

Her most important was named Marinette Dupain-Cheng. An orphan that had trailed Nathalie back to the brothel some twelve years before. As such Nathalie had been tasked with taking care of her. At sixteen years of age Madame had hinted that Marinette should soon start her own training, so that she might accept her own clients some day soon. Nathalie, though she would deny any such accusations made to her, had grown to care for her too much, and kept fobbing off the responsibility.

Marinette was a sweet girl, who got along with everyone. But she didn't have much interest in the harsher aspects of love and romance that life at the bordello brought into stark and harsh light. At the moment she had no interest in love outside of fairy tales, instead she preferred to think of fabrics and stitches. She was put to work mending the clothes of everyone else, paid in supplies with which to practice her craft. It was cheaper than sending them to a tailor, so it all worked out.

“Marinette,” a voice said, causing her to look up from the skirt she was hemming, “What are you doing?”

When it had so happened that Marinette’s disposition allowed her to get along with everyone, that everyone included Kagami, the madame’s daughter. Not a terrible issue, except for the fact that they looked incredibly similar, and had often switched places for the fun of it more than once over the years. To the point where the Madame had forced one of them to cut her hair so that they could be told apart from each other. Kagami had been the one who volunteered. And at the moment now the brothel heiress was interrupting the aspiring seamstress’ work.

“Kagami,” Marinette replied, “I'm just mending Al- I mean Rena’s skirt, I guess one of her patrons accidentally ripped it last night.”

Rena, or Rena Rouge as her full stage name went, was a new girl by the name of Alya who had recently joined them. She said that her parents had just died and she had no other options, the way she spoke and the dress she had arrived in said it was a lie. No one really cared either way, not so long as she brought in clients and money.

“Oh,” Kagami was naturally very quiet. At least, she was until she had a subject she was passionate about. At the moment (much to her mother’s dismay) it was fencing. Speaking of, the girl was holding her prefered sword type, a sabre, at her side, hand resting on the pommel.

“Did you need something?” Marinette asked.

“I wanted to ask your opinion,” Kagami shrugged, “How do you feel about arranged marriages?”

Marinette blinked, “I don’t know. Why? Has your mother said you’re getting married?”

“I think she’s thinking of it at least,” the other girl shrugged. “She says that fencing is a man’s sport. That I should be focused with one of two things, finding a husband, or practicing activities that will secure me a husband.”

“She doesn’t want you to take over the place?” Marinette asked.

“I don’t think that she doesn’t want me to,” Kagami replied, “It’s just that she would prefer I marry rich so I don’t _have_ to.”

“Ah,” Marinette nodded, “Well, I’m sure your perfect match is out there somewhere, probably eating caviar and lounging about without a care in the world.”

The two girls shared a laugh at such a nonsensical thought.

MLB

“How many times must we go through this Adrien?” Gabriel Agreste, a titled gentleman but self-made man, lamented at his only heir, “You are the sole heir to the Agreste name. The company you keep is very important. Were it some sort of romantic scandal or one involving any number of activities acceptable for someone of your standing I might be a bit more understanding, but masquerading as a sort of Robin Hood? Truly? You know this won’t be so easy to explain away, even with all the money in the world.”

“Father,” Adrien tried to explain, “I understand you’re upset with me but-”

“No buts,” Gabriel silenced his progeny, “You have a number of titled, respectable gentlemen you could be spending your time with, or at the very least titled if you are so determined to blacken your reputation. But minstrels? And gentleman thievery? Are you determined to put me in an early grave?”

“Mother always enjoyed music,” Adrien replied quietly, “She would have liked them.”

As always, Gabriel couldn’t argue with as much vehemence when his beloved Emilie was brought up. Even so, his son was on a fast track to ruining everything Gabriel had spent a lifetime building up for him. And he seemed determined to do it with a smile on his face.

The Lord put a hand to his forehead, “Adrien,” he sighed, “They convinced you to steal from Andre Bourgeois. Do you know what might have happened if anyone else had caught you?”

“Since when do the peers of Paris look up at the sky?” Adrien asked, “Seems to be they’re far too preoccupied looking down their noses at everyone else.”

“And if someone not from our world had spotted you gallivanting across the rooftops?” Gabriel asked, “Do you not think news of your exploits wouldn’t have lined the purse of someone less fortunate quite nicely?”

“I-” Adrien had no argument for that at all, “You’re right, Father. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want apologies Adrien,” Gabriel told him sternly, “I want you to not disappoint me. And you can start by finding a wife.”

“A wife?” Adrien echoed with surprise, “But Father I-”

“Are twenty years old,” Gabriel finished for him, “And yet you’ve never once thought about a woman. Now, if your predilections do not run to the fairer sex-”

“Father!” Adrien blushed bright red at the insinuation. Not that he found anything wrong with it, but it most certainly wasn’t a topic he wanted to hear from his father of all people about.

“Then that is no business of mine,” Gabriel continued without missing a beat, “However, might I remind you that what you chose to do behind closed doors remains your own business, you have a public duty to the Social Realm to marry accordingly and produce an heir. I only managed to have you before your mother passed away, and while my fear that something might happen to you -coupled with my own aversion to remarriage- is what kept you so sequestered you seem to have mistaken social climbing musicians for friends, I cannot allow the situation as it is to repeat itself.”

“But Father I-”

“No buts,” Gabriel silenced you again, “As far as I can tell you’ve never so much as touched anything more than a woman’s hand, is that right?”

“Um…” Adrien’s embarrassed blush grew brighter, as did his discomfort with the situation.

“Come now, if you have a conquest you’d like to share so that I might adjust my future plans accordingly, by all means speak.”

“No Father!” Adrien exclaimed, perhaps a bit louder than he had intended to as the silence that immediately followed seemed deafening. The blond’s hands balled into fists as he stared resolutely at his lap. He felt the burn of his father’s stare as the older man assessed him.

“Very well,” Gabriel was silent save for the snap that accompanied the drawing of parchment from its holder followed by the dip of the quill in the inkwell and the scritch-scratch of said quill scribbling letters on the page in elegant script.

“Here,” he spoke again a few minutes later, the clink of currency being counted punctuating his words, “You are to take this letter, along with this pouch of coin to the address on this envelope. You are to ask for the proprietor and then give them both.” he handed the sealed envelope and small purse to his son, “And believe you me, I shall know if both are received or not, so don’t expect to be able to wriggle out of this the way you have a few times previous.”

“Yes Father,” Adrien acquiesced, “Am I to head out immediately?”

“Hmm,” Gabriel glanced out the window, “I should say a few hours later would better suit our purposes, an hour or two before sundown is when you should head out, I do want the driver to be able to _find_ the place after all.”

MLB

“Are you _serious_?” Nino, one of Adrien’s “social climbing musician” friends said as the young lord met up them later that day.

“I wish I was joking,” Adrien replied, “But he’s completely serious, and he wants me to start doing the same.

“That’s rough your grace,” Luka, the other musician said as he strummed at his guitar, “So how are you supposed to start taking things seriously anyways?”

“He’s sending me somewhere tonight,” Adrien said, “Though I don’t really have an idea of where.”

“How are you supposed to get there then?” Nino asked.

“I’m supposed to go to the address on this envelope,” Adrien explained, taking the missive out of his coat pocket and handing it over to his friends for inspection.

The two musicians looked at the envelope and then shared a glance before looking back to their gentleman friend.

“Um,”

“What?” Adrien asked as he took the envelope back.

“Do you want to tell him?” Luka asked, “Or should I?”

“Tell me what?”

“You really want me to tell him?” Nino asked, “Out of the two of us you’re the more eloquent one.”

“Not by much,” Luka picked at a string -a nervous habit of his, “I’d much rather let my music do the talking.”

“I doubt Adrien’s going to be able to get, your father’s sending you to a brothel from an instrumental Luka.”

“My father is _what_?” Adrien broke in, absolutely flabbergasted by the revelation.

Nino and Luka looked at each other again, the former sighing, “See? This is why you should have told him.”

“Why is Father sending me to a bro-” he stopped short remembering the just as awkward question his father had asked him before writing out the missive for delivery.

“I don’t think you need us to answer that question Adrien,” Nino remarked.

“Well, what am I supposed to do with this?” Adrien asked, “I don’t want to go to a brothel! But Father made it clear he would know if I didn’t.”

“For the record,” Luka broke in, “That place has the reputation of being the best in Paris. So you have that going for you.”

“I’d still be paying for se-” Adrien couldn’t even say the word without blushing, “That’s too embarrassing.”

“You think countless generations of other noblemen haven’t been educated in the same way?” Nino raised a brow, then shook his head, “I forget how sheltered you were growing up. Madame Tsurugi’s is the perfect place for someone like you. She’s known to have the highest quality of women in Society.”

“But I don’t want to learn that way,” Adrien complained, “I was sort of hoping I could-”

“Meet that special someone who you would spend the rest of your life with and _then_ get to the heir making.” Nino nearly refrained from rolling his eyes, “We know!”

“It’s not a bad dream,” Luka soothed, “It’s just, we have heard it a million times man, it starts to get a little grating after a while.”

“Sorry,” Adrien apologized, “But it’s all I’ve grown up wanting, I just don’t know if I can throw it all away like Father wants.”

“To be quite honest,” Nino said, “It’s unlikely this will be the first and only time you’ll be going there.”

“Why do you think that?” Adrien asked.

“Sex is like any other activity,” Luka said as he strummed a few notes on his guitar, “You won’t get better at it unless you practice.”

“It needs practice?” Adrien blanched, “I’m in over my head.”

“Maybe you can use this as a bargaining chip,” Nino advised, “So you give up the whole Chat Noir schtick, but you can tell your dad you’ll refuse to go unless you can keep being friends with us, hey?”

“I suppose…”

“Adrien,” Luka said, “Madame Tsurugi is known for having the best in the city, just relax and let them teach you what you’ll need to know. Trust me, it doesn’t have to be a bad or dreadful experience. It can be fun.”

“You’ve been there before?” Adrien asked uncertainly.

“Do either of us look like we have the money to afford a night in there?” Nino deadpanned, “But though we’ve never been inside, we aren’t exactly like you either.”

“Oh,”

“Relax,” Nino cajoled, “Luka’s right, it can be a lot of fun so long as you don’t get too worked up about it. We’d offer to go in as moral support, but…”

“We don’t plan on being there for your wedding night,” Luka finished, “Wouldn’t want to set an odd precedent.”

“Right,”

“Right,” Adrien echoed, still not entirely sure about this whole thing.

MLB

“Marinette!” Alya called, rushing over to her friend and coworker.

“Alya!” Marinette greeted, “I’m just about done with your skirt, try not to rip it immediately this time?”

The redhead shook her head, “Not important right now, what is is that the Madame wants to see you in her office, pronto.”

“Right now?” when Madame Tsurugi wanted to see a girl personally it rarely ended well, especially if that girl was like her and hadn’t yet started taking clients.

“Right now,” Alya affirmed, “She seemed upset, I wouldn’t make it worse by stalling, though I totally would if I could.”

“Right,” Marinette nodded, handing the garment back to its owner, “Here’s hoping, then.”

“Fingers crossed girl,” Alya replied.

Madame’s office was at the end of a long, red hallway. The coloring was supposed to be evocative of luxury and sensuality, but with the nervous feeling swirling in the pit of Marinette’s stomach it looked more like a tunnel into hell. Suffering could only come of this. Voices could be heard arguing from inside the office already.

“She’s still too young for this!” it was Nathalie, of course it was. Nathalie was the only one who would ever advocate for Marinette remaining out of the limelight here. And usually she was able to convince Madame of her usefulness outside of bringing in more men. Marinette couldn’t help the feeling that her luck with that had just about run out.

“Nathalie, I am running a business here. And right now Marinette isn’t being incredibly cost effective. For her food and clothing? Not to mention the supplies I have to have brought in so she can fiddle with it. It’s cutting into profit margins. So she can either join the ranks or leave for somewhere else. Though a young girl like her with barely any experience at anything? Who would take her?”

“I make more than enough money to cover both of us,” Nathalie argued.

“Once upon a time that was true,” Madame sighed, “But she’s grown up now Nathalie. You’ve been pushing this off for years because you’ve grown emotionally attached to her, but you have to face facts now. Marinette either truly becomes one of my girls or she leaves.”

“And what if I leave too?” Nathalie threatened, “You know I have more than a few offers of mistress lying on the table.”

“Not as many as there used to be,” Madame pointed out, “And who would allow you to keep a young lady grown living with you without wanting her as well? Marinette is young and beautiful, with a bit of polish she could achieve greater heights than even you, and you were my brightest pupil.”

“I,” Nathalie sounded terse, “Am fully aware of that.”

“You know it’s nothing personal,” Madame reproached her, “I know I would never want my Kagami living this sort of life either, why do you think I’m pushing so hard for her to put down the sword for once and pay attention to the men around her?”

“And yet you would force Marinette into a life you wouldn’t want for your own child?”

“No one wants this job Nathalie,” Madame replied bluntly, “Let’s all admit that. But there is no other option for people like us. Look at it this way, at least if she’s here, you know she’s safe. Do you want her running the risk of being dragged into one of the less professional operations?” i.e. do you want her to end up in a place where the clients are allowed to beat their women senseless?

“Of course not!” Nathalie protested, “But-”

“But nothing,” Madame’s tone booked for no argument, “There is one ultimatum. Now, get yourself ready for your regulars tonight. I’m expecting to have this same conversation with Marinette shortly.”

“You don’t need to,” Marinette announced her presence. The other women looked shocked, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I was just on my way in and I heard the argument and-”

“Marinette,” Nathalie went to her, “You don’t need to do this.”

“You’ve looked after me for fourteen years,” Marinette replied, “I couldn’t ask for anything better than the care you’ve given me. I wouldn’t want to either. I owe both you and Madame so much. If it’s finally time for me to join the rest of the women, then alright; I’ll do it.”

“That was easy,” Madame remarked, “And you’re certain about this? Just remember there is no going back once you agree.”

“Marinette,” Nathalie said.

The blue-haired girl looked at her adoptive mother, or older sister, she’d never quite figured out what Nathalie was in that regard, and gave her a hug, “I know what I’m doing,” she whispered to the other.

“I wish you did,” Nathalie whispered back, but gave no further protest.

Marinette turned back to Madame Tsurugi and, shoring up her courage, nodded with a sigh, “I’m sure Madame, I’m ready to join your ranks.”

“Very well,” Madame nodded, “Tonight is truly going to be exciting. It’s been a while since we’ve had a virgin to auction off. Now, let’s figure out what we should call you, hm?”

MLB

“I’m still not sure about this,” Adrien remarked as he rode in the carriage to the brothel.

“Calm down,” Luka told him. He and Nino had managed to hitch a ride to soothe the young lord’s nerves. So far it wasn’t exactly _working_ but they were trying their best.

“Yeah,” Nino agreed, “You won’t learn anything if you spend the evening working yourself into a frenzy.”

“I can’t help it!” Adrien lamented, “I’m just so nervous!”

“And you think either of us weren’t?” Luka raised a brow at him.

“Mmm,” Nino agreed, “And we only had our good looks to help us out. We didn’t have the money to pay for our experience, we had to learn how to seduce a girl the old fashioned way.”

“Through music and heated glances,” Luka finished and the two musicians shared a laugh.

“Is that all it takes?” Adrien wondered.

“For some girls, maybe,” Nino replied, “They love to feel loved. They love to feel flattered. And then, some girls just liked the way we looked. We wandered all over the place before settling here in Paris. The rumor of innkeeper’s daughters is truer than you know.”

“Are you sure you can’t come in with me?” Adrien pleaded.

“Trust us when we say you do _not_ want us in there with you Brother,” Nino clapped him on the shoulder, “Just relax, and let her do all the work.”

MLB

Of course, what they likely weren’t prepared for was the fact that all the girls in Madame Tsurugi’s brothel were helping prepare ‘Ladybug’ for her big debut. Considering her age and virginal status they expected her to make a killing. Nathalie was applying her makeup while Alya did her hair and several others were trying to find the right combination of red and black silks for her to be paraded about in. Kagami stood in the doorway of Marinette’s room, shaking her head at the sight. Not wanting Marinette to go through with this but knowing her mother all she could do was be there to support her friend’s decision.

Madame herself was setting up the reception parlor, getting drinks poured out for their customers while her girls were finishing up their own preparations. That was when the arrival of guests had been announced. Three men filtered into the room and were seated on the couch. The blond one seemed to be looking around for something.

“Good evening my lords,” she greeted, not daring to comment on the status of two of their appearances. Money was money, and so long as they had that they wouldn’t be kicked out yet. “I am Madame Tsurugi, welcome to my humble establishment.”

“You’re the Madame?” the blond asked.

“Indeed,” she smiled, the business smile that won all potential clients over.

“I was told to bring you this,” he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two items, a small pouch of coin and an envelope addressed to her. He handed both over sat back on the couch, looking incredibly apprehensive.

Madame quickly weighed the pouch in her hand and opened the missive. It was from Lord Agreste, a former client of hers from his days before inheriting his wife’s estate. Apparently the young blond boy was his son and in need of some tuition in the ways of procreating. Lord Agreste had taken the initiative to tell her the amount and specify that only the finest of her girls would do for his progeny. Well, when Madame opened the pouch for a quick peek and saw the truth of his demands, she fluttered back into the private quarters as fast as she could.

“Cancel the auction my darlings,” she announced as they finished readying Marinette. “You have one client you will be serving.”

“But,” Marinette looked confused, “I haven’t even gone out yet? How could I already have been sold?”

“A rather… influential client has arrived and requested only the highest quality of girl. I can think of nothing higher than a flower that hasn’t yet been plucked. Are you ready my dear?”

“I…” Marinette gulped, it had all seemed so easy when it had just been talk, but now she was really going through with it, “Yes Madame, I’m ready.”

“Just remember what we told you,” Nathalie whispered in her ear, squeezing her shoulders in a comforting gesture.

“Very good then, wait in the Rose Room then.”

“Yes Madame,” Marinette said, rising from her stool and walking out. The girls whispering words of encouragement as she left.

Madame returned to the parlor and smoothed down her appearance. “Monseigneur,” she bowed to Lord Agreste’s son, “This way if you would, I have our finest girl all yours for the evening. And as for you gentlemen,” she nodded to Nino and Luka, “The rest of my girls will be out shortly, feel free to let me know if one of them strikes your fancy.”

With a hand at his elbow she led Adrien to the Rose Room where her virgin lay waiting. At the door where she was to leave him she bowed again and said, “Thank you for dropping by your grace, and please, enjoy yourself.”

Adrien stood before the door for a long moment, trying to find the courage to grasp the knob and enter. This was what his father wanted, Adrien had to do it. There was no other option, and she would know what she was doing. He took a deep breath, alright Agreste, he could do this. The room that lay beyond the door had a wide circular window with some stained glass artwork he wasn’t really cognizant of. What _did_ capture his attention though, was the beautiful young woman lying on the bed, draped all over in red and black silk.

“Welcome your grace,” she greeted with a sultry smile, eyes half-lidded and voice husky, “I’m Ladybug.”


	2. Meet Ladybug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien meets Ladybug, but what happens next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are a huge motivator apparently. Because the sweetest person left one and I finished this in the same day after neglecting it for like a week. So there we go. Hope you all like it!

He stared at her. And it made Marinette incredibly uncomfortable. He was a lord of great renown apparently. He was supposed to know what he was doing. One of them had to, otherwise this was going to be a disaster. Still, all he did was stand at the door and stare. Marinette wondered why he wasn’t taking charge. What had happened? He  _ had  _ purchased her innocence had he not? But the longer he stood there not doing anything the more her nerves began to build up. What if he didn’t find her desirable? Was it because she didn’t have the figure that most of the other girls and women did? Torturous thoughts of doubt and self-loathing began to swirl through her head, making it so that she was unable to move.

Adrien, meanwhile, was simply stunned by the radiant vision that lay before him. How was he supposed to compete with a gorgeous woman who knew everything he didn’t? He couldn’t help but feel he would disappoint her, and he hated disappointing people. But of course, this was her job, and so would it be to reassure him he was fine and everything was fine when it wasn’t. His anxieties and fears were building up again, and he wished his father had merely respected Adrien’s desire to wait until he was married. At least then they could figure things out together could they not?

Still, he was here now, and no doubt whoever Father had trailing him would be waiting for news on him leaving the room early or not. Nino and Luka were right. He should just try to relax and make the best of things. With that thought in mind he undid his cravat and shed his coat, waiting for her to help him. Wasn’t that how this was supposed to go?

When his grace started disrobing Marinette let out a silent sigh of relief. If he was undressing himself it meant he wasn’t put off by her appearance and that he was willing to take what he’d paid for. Which meant she wouldn’t get scolded by Madame. Left in just a loose shirt and his breeches he got onto the bed and  put a hand under her chin. Marinette, no, no, she wouldn’t think of herself as Marinette. This wasn’t Marinette he had paid for, this was Ladybug. Ladybug sat up and went for his buttons. His lordship stilled at the touch, which made Ladybug pause. Wasn’t his lordship used to this? Why would he be so shocked by what she was supposed to do? Or maybe he was used to undressing himself. Ladybug took her hands back and let them fall to her lap, not able to meet his eyes.

Oh no, had he given her some sort of signal that he was displeased with her? This was why he didn’t want to do this in the first place. Adrien was no good at this sort of thing. He wanted to be able to be completely honest with his insecurity, to not feel as though he couldn’t measure up. Much as she might protest, a prostitute didn’t have that sort of element to her personality. It was in her nature to take as many clients as she could, but how could you not compare one to the other?

Ladybug felt trembling begin in her limbs, had he realized she was a virgin? Was this displeasing to him? Why would he have bought her first time if he didn’t want to relish taking it? She simply didn’t understand. She wished Nathalie was here, Nathalie would know what to do, what to say. This entire thing was not turning out the way she was certain Madame wanted it to turn out. And if his lordship reneged on the deal Madame would not be pleased with her.

No, no, Nino and Luka had told him to relax and enjoy himself. Maybe the way to do that was to start with something he was comfortable with. The only question was, what was he comfortable with? Adrien thought long and hard about it. Touch, he could do touch. Slowly he reached for her hand. Ladybug looked up at him as he just held it, did nothing else. For her part, she was a little confused. All the stories she had ever been told in preparation for this moment had spoken of quick fumbles that left them sore and bloodied the next day. Perhaps he was genteel enough to wish to make this as unpleasant as possible? Though why he would be willing to do that was something she didn’t quite understand.

The simple touch of hand to hand made Adrien feel a bit more comfortable with the whole situation. He’d held hands, shaken them too, many times before. This sort of touch was nothing new to him. It made his nerves ease and loosen. He took a deep breath, he could do this. His free hand went to Ladybug’s chen and tipped it up so she could meet his eyes. Kissing was no big deal either. He’d seen many kisses during his childhood, had received them too. Though maybe going right in for it was asking a bit too much from his confidence at the moment. But he could still start small. Before her death Adrien remembered his mother coming in almost every night to place a kiss on the crown of his head. She’d said it would help protect him from any bad dreams that might try to come after him. That they could not fight against a mother’s love. It had made him feel safe. It was something within his comfort zone. So that’s what he did. He placed a kiss to the crown of Ladybug’s head.

Ladybug herself couldn’t help but melt at the tenderness his lordship was bestowing on her. It was so kind of him, to put her own nerves at ease. Had he sensed she was nervous? Or was it something he knew was a nerve wracking experience? Either way, the kisses continued, small and light and in places she could accept them from anyone.  And then, he cupped her jaw gently with his hands, making his intention known. Those green eyes that bored into hers so intensely, Ladybug felt the frantic beating of her heart resound in her chest. And yet, through the fear, there was the sense of excitement.

Adrien closed brought his face closer, closing his eyes at the last moment. And paused. He was so close he could feel the soft puffs of her breathing as she anticipated what was to come. Except it wouldn’t. His heart revolted against his father’s orders. It cried out that he couldn’t do this, he shouldn’t do this. What he wanted above all else was love, and a whore was not where he was supposed to find it.

Adrien pulled back, hanging his head in apology, “I can’t do this.”

“I can’t do this,” he’d said as he pulled away from her. And in an instant it could no longer be Ladybug in the room with him, but poor rejected Marinette who’s heart was beating once more in fright, but not because of him. Rather, it was what Madame would do to her if the chance of him wanting his money came up. Her job was to seduce him, to satisfy him. And if he wasn’t satisfied and he hadn’t touched her, well he had every right to demand his money back. And Madame would  _ not _ be pleased about that at all.

“Why?” she sounded so hurt, so vulnerable and rejected that it made Adrien feel guilty. She had to be good if she could pull that off so sincerely. “Am I not enough? Am I not what you paid for?”

“No you are!” Adrien quickly assured her, “You very much are, and that’s part of the problem.”

“You should have said something,” Marinette sniffed.

“I couldn’t,” Adrien sighed, “I was- I mean I didn’t,” he sighed again, this time in defeat, “Look, I honestly had no interest in coming here tonight. I was sent by my father, to learn,” he waved his hands between the two of them, “ _ this _ . But I can’t do it. I just can’t. I don’t want to be compared to anyone else, and even if I didn’t mind that… I can’t do this without love.”

“Not comfortable being compared?” Marinette tilted her head at him, “Is that why you purchased a virgin?”

“Wait,” Adrien blinked, slowly mulling over his thoughts, “You’re a virgin?”

She nodded, “Isn’t that why you bought me?”

“Wait, I paid… for your first time?”

“The real one anyways,” Marinette replied, “But if you don’t want to…” she blushed, “Then what are you going to do? Are you going to go back to Madame and ask for your money back?”

“I could do that,” in all honesty Adrien didn’t know. He certainly didn’t want to hurt anybody but he couldn’t abide by this, “Will you get in trouble if I do?”

The girl nodded, “I was supposed to do my best to entice you. Madame must have thought my virginity would be good enough.”

“It’s not you,” Adrien took her by the shoulders to reassure her, “Believe me none of this has anything to do with you. It’s about me, and my father’s wishes.” he hissed out a breath as he remembered what his father had told him, “That’s right! I forgot about that!”

“Forgot about what?” Marinette asked.

“My father wanted to make sure I didn’t just drop the money and run,” Adrien replied, “This place is being watched to make sure I stay. I can’t go anywhere anyways.”

“I see…” Marinette was quiet a moment, “Well, you’re still welcome to stay here.”

“I can’t stay,” Adrien was flabbergasted, “I just told you I don’t want-”

“Then we won’t,” Marinette finished. She laid down on the bed and patted the space next to her, “We can just lay down. We can talk, or we can not say anything, or we can just go to sleep. I’ll leave the choice up to you your grace.”

Adrien was shocked, it was not often he was given the power of choice in any situation. Though, he supposed that that was why his father had sent him here. It was a little pathetic, having to arrange your own son’s youthful rebellion against yourself. Still, it was a golden opportunity, and Adrien didn’t intend to waste it. He laid down on the bed as well.

MLB

When Luka woke the next morning it was to a sizable hangover kicking him in the head. Adrien’s father had provided for more than the girl he'd spent the night with, it had allowed Nino and him to drink to their hearts’ content. Nino had taken up with an auburn haired vixen and left for a private room some hours before. But as sunlight slowly crept in Luka realized it was time to pack up his lordship and leave. It hurt to stand, it hurt to think, it hurt to even exist. And whatever he’d eaten along with his drinking last night wasn’t sitting right in his stomach. He noticed girls, far more fully dressed now, milling about.

“Excuse me,” he called to one of them, “Is his lordship up yet?”

“I don’t know,” the girl brushed him off, “He leaves when he wakes, that’s the policy here.”

“But,” Luka argued, “We need to get him home, and where’s Nino?”

“Nino?” the girl looked confused, “I don’t know anyone by that name here.”

Luka sighed, of course. But he wasn’t in the mood to wait around for Adrien and Nino, he wanted to return to Adrien’s townhouse and sleep off the hangover. And then, maybe when he felt better he wanted to compose something new with Nino. but of course they were too busy being smitten with pretty whores. Luka was honestly impressed though, he hadn’t expected Adrien to last the night, and that was meant with all the love for his friend in the world. Still, proud or not Luka was done with this place for the day.

MLB

“You need to go,” Marinette whispered, “It’s morning already.”

“But Ladybug,” Adrien protested, “I’ve never had as much fun talking with someone as I have with you.”

“You have no idea how happy that makes me,” Marinette blushed. They hadn’t ended up going to sleep at all, and instead had talked through the night. Despite how much she had enjoyed the conversation Marinette knew that someone would eventually come and check on them, and he would have to leave. More than that though, he looked like he’d never stayed up so late in his life, and it showed. There were already dark circles forming under his verdant green eyes, and his hair was tousled from where he had shifted positions over the course of the evening.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Marinette told him, “I was so frightened,”

“I was too,” Adrien admitted.

“You were so kind, I can only hope the one who actually takes my virginity will be as gentle as you.”

That caused the young lord to pause, “Wait, what?”

“Well,” Ladybug shrugged, “To be honest, Madame was likely going to keep selling me as a virgin for as long as people would believe it. She does that with all the new girls.”

“You- you’re going to keep…” Adrien couldn’t even finish the sentence. He had forgotten, it seemed, just where he was and what type of woman Ladybug was being trained as.

“I live in a brothel,” Ladybug reminded him, “Did you really expect anything less?”

“I… I wish there was something I could do to help,” Adrien told her.

Ladybug smiled, “Just hearing those words makes me feel better. Have a good life your lordship. Whoever you marry, she’s going to be a very lucky girl.”

Adrien let out a breath of laughter, “I seriously doubt that, considering I didn’t do what I came here to.”

“Sex isn’t everything that makes a marriage,” she argued, “There’s also love, or at the very least compassion, for your partner. Being able to understand them and talk about important things, or else, what’s the point?”

It was a stark reminder of just how different their worlds were. If for nothing else than the simple fact that should she ever want to, Ladybug could marry for love. Adrien could not. His world was about benefits and arrangements. And the whole point of this past evening had been to prepare him for that.

“Au Revoir your Grace,” LAdybug bid him adieu as he finished dressing and gently ushered him out the door, it closed with a soft click behind him. And Adrien had never before felt so lost. 

MLB

Nino woke up languorously, feeling a bit light-headed. Likely the combination of good booze and even better physical exertion. With one pretty Rena Rouge, and the name fit her well. What a little vixen, at least, she had been from what he could remember. Strange, he remembered following her to the room, exchanging kisses and then the next… a blank. It hadn’t been that overwhelming since his first experience. Nino just hoped the embarrassment from that time hadn’t repeated itself last night. Rena herself was laying on her side, though not in a position that would suggest sleep. And then Nino heard the quick scritch scratch that usually accompanied writing. He reached for his spectacles and quickly pushed them up his nose, leaning over her just in time to see her stick her quill in a tiny book and stuff it under the pillow.

“What were you writing mon cher?” he asked, moving some of her red hair out of the way to place a kiss on her bare shoulder.

“I was writing?” she played coy, “I don’t recall.”

“You were writing something in a little book, tell me what it was.”

“Oh,” she sighed dramatically, perhaps a little  _ too  _ dramatically, “alright, you caught me. I was writing about you in my diary.”

“You keep a diary?” Nino asked her.

Alya turned on her side to face him, “Yes, it helps me organize my thoughts.”

“And you write about all your customers in that?”

She giggled, “No,” was her reply, “Only the  _ really good _ ones.”

“And were you writing about me in there?”

“Maybe,” she smirked at him, “Maybe not. I’ll never tell.”

“I suppose I’ll just have to keep coming back until it’s a certainty.”

“Honey,” she gently touched the tip of his nose with her finger, “You couldn’t afford me for that long.”

“I can try,” Nino grinned back.

This time she laughed, a real laugh, “You’re funny music man,” she patted him on his shoulder, “Now get dressed and get out. The brothel is closed.”

MLB

The three gentlemen were in too much of a haze to notice the silence that reigned in their usually conversational carriage on the ride home. Each of them were lost in their own thoughts. Luka was trying in vain to catch a bit more sleep to help the throbbing in his head compounded by the horses’ hooves and each little jostle of the vehicle. Nino was thinking about how he could budget enough to continue seeing Rena, and how long it might take before he could convince her to allow him as her only patron. And Adrien, Adrien was thinking about the horrific situation that was the brothel. And how yet despite all that it had borne one of the sweetest ladies he’d ever met. He knew from the whispers how some girls like her were treated, and what could happen to them. Lords of his wealth and station didn’t have to take responsibility for their actions, but she would, and all because of a situation that she by her own words had had no choice but to go into.

He didn’t want Ladybug to suffer like that. Not when she was so incredibly brave. She didn’t deserve to raise a child all on her own while its father was out living life with some wife and likely three other mistresses on the side. Ladybug had said that was simply a risk she would have to take. Because the alternatives, she had said she didn’t think she would be able to part with a child once she knew of its existence. And she had heard from other rumors that the process was quite painful for some, and could possibly prevent her from working at all. She couldn’t take that risk. It was safer to remain in the brothel. Madame took care of her girls, but Adrien thought that it just wasn’t enough. And, he was willing to admit to himself, he just wanted to see Ladybug again. Every night if possible. But his father would never condone such behavior. Lord Adrien Agreste was only to visit the brothel for that one night. But, Adrien knew of someone else who’s reputation would only be heightened by such rakish behavior.

“Guys,” Adrien broke the silence as the carriage rolled to a stop in front of his townhouse, “I think it’s time the Chat,” he paused, partly to make sure they were listening and partly for dramatic effect, “came  _ back _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suspense, but not really. Leave a comment and let me know what you thoughts. Until next time everyone


	3. The Chat Returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long. Exam season was upon us and three 10-12 page papers due within a week really takes a lot out of a person. I was writing shorter things to help build my stamina back up and now that I have I think I'm finally ready to dive back in here.
> 
> On a side note, the ever lovely and talented AuroraLynne drew some art for this. They're still working on it, but when it's finished I promise I'll post a link. But just thank them and if you can try to find them on tumblr and say hi!

The rest of the day saw Marinette in a dreamy haze. She went about her chores only haphazardly doing them, too distracted by her own thoughts. The other girls noticed this, and were confused by how she was acting. Somewhat, they all had that gentle patron who made them feel more like what they truly were. The only shame was that they knew that those patrons were all too often snapped up by a wife whom they cherished for the rest of their lives. And that such a man had been Ladybug’s first…

Nathalie watched Marinette with a sad smile on her face. And then she decided to take the girl aside from her half-finished work and have a word with her. Not every patron would be like the young Lord Agreste, and the sooner Marinette learned that, the better.

“Marinette?” Nathalie interjected, taking the broom (which she was holding upside down as she swept the yard) and setting it to the side, “Come with me for a moment, will you?”

“Hm? Oh hi Nathalie!” Marinette cast her dreamy smile in her not quite mother, not quite sister figure’s direction, “When did you get here?”

“Marinette, sweetheart.” Nathalie set the broom aside and began walking Marinette down the hall to her usual room, “I think we need to have a chat.”

“Okay,” Marinette replied, “What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to talk about last night…” Nathalie began awkwardly. Normally she wasn't shy about speaking the unspoken, but then, most of the time she hadn't practically _raised_ the one she was speaking to.

“Oh, last night,” Marinette sighed happily, drifting off into her own world of fantasy.

“Marinette?” Nathalie questioned, the girl didn't answer. Nathalie snapped her fingers in front of her face and sharply said, “Marinette!”

“Huh?” Marinette snapped out of her daze.

“What has gotten into you?” Nathalie asked, “I've never seen anyone so jubilant after their first night. He couldn't have been _that_ gentle with you. Men don't know _how._ ”

“He was so nice,” Marinette began mooning, “And so handsome and we talked all night and we have so much in common Nathalie. It was amazing it was like, like,”

“Un coup de fondre,” Nathalie whispered, sounding horrified. No, no, no, this could _not_ happen! Rule number one, two, and _three_ of Madame’s establishment was not to fall in love with the high ranking patrons. They never came for a night or two at most.

“Exactly,” Marinette sighed happily, “Like lightning.”

“Marinette, mon cher,” Nathalie placed a hand on her shoulder, “I wouldn’t get your hopes up like this… It’s not… The Agreste name carries a lot of weight here in Paris. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m not hurt,” Marinette replied. Then she glanced around and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “He never even touched me.”

Nathalie was dumbstruck, “I, you, he _what_?”

Marinette let out yet another dreamy sigh, “He said he couldn’t do it without love, isn’t he just amazing?”

He hadn’t touched her, but he’d still paid for her. It was unprecedented in Madame’s establishment, though Nathalie wasn’t sure if it was so unheard of in others. The problem was that despite her life here, Marinette was a natural born romantic. And if she was in love after one moment of kindness, she would be so ill-prepared for the evenings to come. Nathalie knew that Madame was prepared to sell Ladybug’s virginity for as long as patrons would still believe she had it, all of them wanting to be the ones that divested her of her alleged “virtue”. Not that Nathalie thought anything of that, but their patrons certainly did. And Marinette, though typically a very lucky girl, she wouldn’t be so fortunate as to escape her fate for very long.

Nathalie sighed, in melancholy unlike her companion, “Marinette,” she slid her arm around the younger girl, “I understand you feel happy about how you were treated, don’t we all wish to have patrons so gentle as the young Lord Agreste, but I’m afraid people aren’t like that. The next patron you receive isn’t going to be so saintly, I can promise you that.”

“But, but what if Lord Agreste comes back!” Marinette protested, “I can’t, I want to be with him!”

“I know you do,” Nathalie gave a reassuring squeeze, “All of us, at one point or another, wish for a better life than what we’ve been given. But a high class patron marrying one of us? That’s the stuff of fairy tales Marinette. The real happiness you can find is when you discover how much power you have over the men that come here.”

“I don’t _want_ power over men,” Marinette shook off Nathalie and stood, angry tears welling in her eyes, “I just want, I want _Adrien_!” a quiet gasp escaped her as she realized she’d used his christian name instead of his title.

“I’m sorry mon cher,” Nathalie shook her head, “I’m not a fairy godmother, I can’t make that happen. All I can do is protect you, and when you’ve already decided you’d start working, all I can do is tell you how to protect your heart.”

A tear broke loose and slipped down her cheek, “Too late for that,” she whispered harshly, turning tail and retreating back to her room.

Nathalie watched her go, making no move to stand or chase after her. Instead she looked at her lap and sadly whispered back, “ _I_ _know_.”

MLB

Later that same night, in a flat in the richest part of Paris, Luka and Nino were helping attend to Adrien as he donned his more thematic clothing and groomed him so that he resembled his true self not a bit.

“Are you sure you want to do this man?” Luka asked, unsure about the whole thing. Adrien going in for a night of fun every once in a while was one thing. But from his plans throughout the day he seemed to want to make this a nightly occurrence. And putting his duties as Lord Agreste to the wayside was going to get him caught far faster than any nighttime thievery could.

“I’m sure,” Adrien said as Nino helped apply and secure the special mask he’d had made for when he first became Chat Noir, “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. But I want to get to know her. Without my title blinding her.”

“She’s gonna know you’re rich by you being able to simply _afford_ the place,” Nino reminded, “Madame’s isn’t exactly an open access establishment. We were only allowed in because we were your guests.”

“And what makes you think you can’t come as my guests again?” Adrien asked, “I know you want to see that vixen again. What did you say her name was?”

Nino turned his head to the side, blushing as he muttered, “Rena,”

“Look, you’re allowed to have more than Adrien Agreste as a friend, right?” when the two musicians nodded, “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m still not so sure about this,” Luka voiced his reservation, “You’re risking an awful lot for a whore Adrien.”

“She’s not a whore!” Adrien replied sharply, “She’s an amazing woman who ended up in a bad situation. And I want to help her out of it.”

“What makes you think this isn’t part of her game?” Luka asked, “Look, I’m not trying to step on your feelings, but you can be really naive sometimes. These women, they’re great for what they’re there for, and I treat any of them with the respect they should have. But I don’t lose my head over them,”

Nino snorted, “I beg to differ,” he jibbed.

Luka rolled his eyes, “The head that counts,” he amended, “What I mean Adrien is that, some of these girls, they’re only looking at you because you have money. And if they want out, they might see you as their ticket out. It’s not so surprising, that these girls and the girls from your world aren’t so different. All they care about is money.”

“My Lady isn’t like that!” Adrien protested, “She’s kind and sweet and innocent.”

“Or one hell of an actress,” Luka muttered to Nino.

“She never wanted to do what father paid for last night,” Adrien continued, “She’s a virgin.”

“How do you know that she is if you didn’t sleep with her?” Luka raised an eyebrow.

“I believe her, she wouldn’t lie.”

“Funny,” Nino sighed, “I could have sworn you’ve said that same thing at least once before. And every time you’ve said it you’ve been wrong. Face it brother, you’re too trusting. I might actually be with Luka on this one.”

“So why are you helping me then?” Adrien adjusted the mask on his face, checking the thin but durable ties to make sure they remained hidden by his messy hair, “Why not just tell my father and be done with it?”

The two other men looked at each other  and shared a conspiratorial smirk, “Because you’re our friend, and if this makes your old man mad, all the more reason to do it.”

Adrien let out a sigh of relief and smiled, “Thanks you guys, you’re the best.”

The two each slung an arm around him, “Anytime. Now come on _Chat_ , the night awaits.”

MLB

It was the second night Ladybug was set to appear before the crowd so she could mingle and flirt and garner a customer’s attention. But with the wonderful experience that was Adrien -she bubbled with the inner excitement of even _thinking_ his Christian name, of calling him by that in her head- Marinette wasn’t so sure she could go through with it. She took her time applying the heavy makeup, styling her hair just so. If Adrien did come by she wanted to look her best for him, but if he didn’t she wanted to take as long as possible getting ready so she could push off the dread of having to see anyone else, have to go to bed with them as Nathalie said she would.

But eventually, there was no more primping to be done. Marinette was gone for the evening. In her place was Ladybug. But she didn’t feel any different. It wasn’t like when Nathalie became Paon, or Alya became Rena. Marinette just couldn’t come up with a seductive persona for this being she was at night. She believed in love, and now that she was in love she just couldn’t separate it from the work her body was required to do.

There came a knock at the door. Marinette was afraid Madame had come to scold her and usher her down. But when the door opened it was just Kagami. She was wearing her fencing clothes again, Madame hated that her daughter wandered around in trousers, but Kagami didn’t really care, since she wasn’t the one who was working and that when she _did_ go out in public she dressed accordingly.

“They’re waiting for you, you know,” Kagami said quietly.

“I know,” Marinette sighed, “Is there, anyone special, perhaps?”

“I don’t know,” Kagami replied, “You know Mother doesn’t like me to be out and about when there are customers around. She doesn’t want them to get the wrong idea.”

“I know,” Marinette sighed again, “Alright, I guess I’m ready.”

“Want me to walk with you? At least as far as I can?”

“I’d like that,” Marinette agreed, “But, I think I’ll be fine. I don’t want to get you in trouble with Madame.”

“So long as I stay out of sight I’ll be fine,” Kagami tugged at her arm, “Come on, they’re all waiting.”

They walked in silence to the main area, but it was comforting having someone there to support you, even if their support was simply waiting for you to open up. Marinette knew that Kagami was there if she needed to talk, but she just couldn’t right now. Trying to rectify her newfound feelings with the fact that her life was what it was was too new and too difficult. She needed time to process herself. Perhaps while she quietly cried herself to sleep after her next patron exhausted himself with her.

“Ah there you are my dear!” Madame exclaimed happily, “You already have a guest asking for you by name.”

“By name?” Ladybug was surprised, “But I’ve only just-”

“Just arrived for the evening, yes,” Madame quickly covered, “He’s such a gentleman, you’ll treat him well won’t you Ladybug?”

“I,” at Madame’s expectant look she caved, “Of course Madame. Where is my most honored guest?”

“Right here,” Madame extended a hand to her side. From out of the shadows a man all in black finery, except for the gold of his tousled hair and the acidic green of his eyes under the odd mask he wore, “This is Monseigneur Chat Noir Ladybug. You’ll be entertaining him tonight. Don’t let me down.”

“I would never dream of it Madame,” Ladybug curtsied to her patron and held out her arm, “Shall we?”

“With pleasure My Lady,” he replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update I know. Hoping to have another chapter up by the end of the day, maybe 2 if I'm really productive. In the meantime, a comment would be much appreciated. Like it? Hate it? Notice something I missed? Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone!


	4. In the Interim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Chat has come for Ladybug, but will she be swayed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second update today! I am on a roll!

Chat Noir was an unknown, an unexpected. He carried himself with poise and confidence, his silence meant to unnerve and intimidate. Marinette was nervous around him, but she wondered if he thought it was because he was intimidating, or because Madame had sold off her virginity once again. Either, being scared wasn’t something she could afford to do in this line of work. If she couldn’t be seductive, she could at least _appear_ confident.

“What’s the matter Ladybug?” Chat Noir asked her, “Chat got your tongue?”

“Not now, and not ever,” Ladybug quipped. One of the rules of the business was that kissing was intimate, far more intimate than sex. Which was why girls in their line of work didn’t do it. Not on the mouth, at least.

“So confident,” he purred, “I like that in a woman.”

“And I like to know who it is I plan on sleeping with,” Ladybug bounced back, “Yet I doubt you’ll give me the satisfaction.”

“Trust me when I say I don’t plan on either of us leaving this room unsatisfied tonight,” Chat grinned at her.

Ladybug arched a brow at him, “Oh really? Well then, if you’re so sure of yourself, I’ll start,” she reached for the black straps of her silk chemise, only the finest for Madame’s girls.

Instantly Chat lost all bravado, “Wait wait, what are you doing?”

Ladybug paused, her straps already down her shoulders, “I’m taking my clothes off, that’s what you came here for isn’t it?” She watched him go through a thought process of sorts and began to read the room. He played cocky and confident, yet when she started he balked. Ladybug felt a rush of power flow through her veins. She made him nervous with her refusal to play games. Interesting. Very interesting.

Chat Noir, meanwhile was scrambling. She had been so vulnerable with Adrien, and while he wasn’t exactly hoping for a repeat of that, it would have seemed too much like an act then, he was surprised at how candid she was being when just the night before she had been trembling and sobbing in his arms.

“Can’t you be a little more romantic about it?” he narrowed his gaze at her.

“I don’t really see the point,” Ladybug replied, “I’m not here for romance, I’m here for pleasure. Yours, specifically; since you paid so handsomely for me.”

“So what do you intend to do?” Chat asked her.

“Would you like me to be frank?” Ladybug asked in reply. At his nod she continued, “I intend to take off my clothes and spend the evening lying on my back for as long as you so desire me.”

“And after that?”

“I expect you’ll either want a new position, or you’ll fall asleep and I’ll take a bath.”

Her candor provided him with an out from her expectations that seemed incredibly natural, “It seems so unappealing when you put it that way.”

“Anything can, given the right phrasing.”

“I suppose you have a point there,” Chat took a seat at the foot of the bed, “Come, sit. Since you’ve spoiled my other appetite for the evening you’ll need to make it up to me somehow.”

“And how do you propose I do that?”

“They say that are three great loves you get in your life,” Chat Noir told her, “And what I happen to love is a good conversation.”

Ladybug arched a brow at him, “Do tell,” she said with a lazy smile. If there was one thing she had been born to do, it was talk

MLB

Much as Ladybug had with Adrien, she stayed up all night talking with Chat Noir. but where Adrien had remained sweet and courteous but ultimately reserved, Chat decided it was his mission that night to make her smile. His approach? The worst puns and riddles he could think of. Eventually, he succeeded, because she could only roll her eyes in exasperation for so long before it got too ridiculous even for her. Chat was actually good natured and sweet, despite is rather intimidating way of carrying himself. Ladybug liked him, he was a good person. And when she asked if he would ever return he promised her sooner than she would think.

The following day passed with all the girls clamoring around Marinette, wanting to know what it was like to be with two incredibly gorgeous men one right after the other. She’d managed to fob them off, thanks in no small part to Nathalie and Kagami, who reminded interloping others that there were still chores to be done before they opened for the evening once again. Marinette thanked them both for their help.

But then, Chat came again. That very night. And he requested Ladybug’s company. And so it went every night for a month. They never did anything though. It seemed Chat was paying simply to spend time with her. When she asked why, rather, how he had even heard of here he’d merely replied, “Good news travels fast.”

“Not as fast as bad news,” Ladybug had parried.

“Touche, My Lady,”

When he visited, he brought her all sorts of little gifts, flowers, chocolates, a book he thought she might like, a spotted mask so that she needn’t go to all the trouble of making herself up every evening. When she told him in her spare time she liked to sew he once brought her some fabric to make something with. She made a soft day dress out of the dusky pink fabric, which she modeled for him as she held it against her.

“One of a kind,” he complimented.

“I can make another out of all the leftover fabric,” Ladybug said, distracted by talking about her passion, “So I don’t think it really is one of a kind.”

“I was talking about you,” Chat complimented.

Ladybug laughed and rolled her eyes playfully, “Silly Kitty,” she shook her head in amusement, tucking the dress away to wear some other time.

“I like talking with you, My Lady,” Chat Noir said as she joined him at the foot of the bed.

“I like talking with you too Chat,” Ladybug fiddled with a loose strand of her hair, “I think you’re a very good friend, coming and protecting me like this.”

“Protecting you?” Chat asked, “From what? This place is one of the safest in the Red Light District, and I have no doubts you would be able to handle yourself in a fight.”

“You presume much about me,” Ladybug sighed, “Especially since this, this is work. If another customer were to come in, and pay for me… I really wouldn’t have a choice but to comply.”

“Then rest assured, I’ll be here, every night until you no longer need me,” Chat told her.

“That’s sweet of you,” Ladybug put a hand atop his, “But you shouldn’t feel so obligated to me. Madame is an expensive owner. You can’t keep coming here every night. You’ll go broke, and I’d feel terrible about that.”

“I have plenty of money,” Chat Noir assured her, “You don’t need to worry about that.”

“But I _do_ ,” Ladybug replied, “Especially since, somehow, I get the feeling that what you want from me is more than I can give.”

“I like you Ladybug,” Chat pulled her hands into his and held them gently in the shared space of their laps, “I like you very much, is it so wrong to ask if you might return that affection?”

“I can’t,” Ladybug shook her head, “We’re not supposed to.”

“Is it a rule of the brothel?” Chat asked, “We can find a way around that, I could help you, you could leave.”

“It’s not that,” Ladybug dismissed the implied offer on the table, “Chat, it’s already too late. I have someone I love. I’m sorry that it isn’t you, because you’re kind and sweet and funny and had I met you first I might have fallen for you. But I can’t forget him, and I can’t give up hope that he might come back, that I might see him again one day.”

“I… I see…” Chat Noir said, “Well, in that case, can I ask for your undying friendship My Lady?”

“I will always be your friend,” Ladybug promised, “So long as you will have me.”

“In that case,” Chat said, “Might you accompany me for a ride about the park tomorrow?”

“I can’t do that either Chat,” Ladybug shook her head sadly, “And it has nothing to do with where my heart is. The truth is, Ladybug, outside of these walls, she doesn’t exist. She _can’t_ , for my own safety. And I can’t trust you with my true identity when you’re hiding yours.”

“I can-”

“No,” she cut him off before he could offer, “Whatever reason you have for hiding your face, I don’t hold it against you. But for our own safety, we can’t know who we really are. I’m sorry.” she looked upset that she had to tell him that. A month’s worth of conversations lasting late into the night made them so close. But not close enough it seemed. Still, Chat Noir loved Ladybug enough to respect her decisions.

“If that is what you wish My Lady,” he slung an arm over her and pulled her into a hug, “But should you ever change your mind,”

“I wouldn’t hesitate,” she finished.

MLB

Luka was livid. Unfortunately, his anger was the quiet, icy kind of anger that seethed with a burning chill at whoever it was leveled at.  “She _what_?” he nearly hissed.

“She just wants to be friends with me,” Adrien sighed, having already had to repeat it twice, “She has someone she loves and she can’t return my feelings right now. I respect that, I respect _her_.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Luka said darkly, “It sounds like she’s just toying with you. You still bring her presents, don’t you?”

“On occasion,” Adrien replied with a sheepish expression and a red blush on his face, “But she always tries not to accept them if I don’t insist.”

“I say she’s using you,” Luka folded his arms, “And I don’t think you should see her anymore, either as Chat _or_ Adrien.”

“Why would you say that?” Adrien seemed oblivious, and Luka was at a loss for how to explain it. He really wasn’t good with words.

“I, Nino, help me out here,” he appealed to the more lyrically inclined and eloquent of them.

Not that that was much help, since he was still reaping the benefits of Adrien’s continued patronage to the bordello. He got to see Rena, and apparently she was so good at what he did the poor man always ended up blacking out and not remembering anything. Well, anything about what happened. He remembered enough to compose sappy poems and love songs dedicated to Rena’s beauty, which he was doing at the moment as he lay on the grass staring up at the sky and idly strumming on his lute.

“Nino!” Luka said sharply.

Nino jumped, “Huh?” he rose from his position lying down only to sit up, still plucking a few chords from the strings, “What did you need?”

“I need your help with this,” Luka narrowed his gaze at her, “Tell Adrien he can’t see that Red Lady of his again.”

“Why are you asking me to do that?” Nino raised a brow, “If anyone has the power to tell him that it should be his father.”

“Luka, you’re not going to tell Father are you?” Adrien pled, eyes large and earnest.

“I,” Luka sighed, “No, I’m not that upset. But Adrien, you need to realize that as nice as she seems, she still lives and works in a brothel, she’s still a whore, no matter what you’ve been doing to try and prevent that. That’s how their world works, and it’s something completely different from yours. I’m not trying to be mean, to you or her, I’m just trying to protect you from getting your heart broken.”

“I’m grateful that you’re my friend,” Adrien said quietly, “But I’d appreciate you refraining from making assumptions about someone you don’t even know.”

“Neither do you!” Luka threw his hands up in exasperation, “You have no way of knowing whether she’s telling you the truth or not.”

“Maybe not, but I trusted her when she promised to be my friend, I’m going to trust her on everything else.”

“And should it come out that it was all a lie?” Luka asked.

“It’ll hurt,” Adrien replied, “But I’m not going to cut her off before I know for sure.”

MLB

There was nothing Luka hated more than going behind a friend’s back. But in this once instance he considered it okay, if only because this was for Adrien’s own good. The musician made his way to Madame Tsurugi’s establishment. While people would be up and about during the daylight hours, they wouldn’t be open for business, which meant he wouldn’t be expected to spend money, and he wouldn’t have to worry about running into Adrien.

“Can I help you?” a sleepy-eyed girl answered his knock at the door, “We’re not open until later, come back then.”

“Wait,” he stopped her from closing the door on him, “I need to speak to the Red Lady,” he would have asked for her by name, but Adrien refused to disclose it to him. Luka hoped the descriptor would be enough.

The girl looked surprised at his request and said, “Just a moment,” she left him standing in the doorway and scurried off somewhere. He assumed it was to find out her exact location. When she came back it seemed as if she’d been running all over trying to get the answer she now delivered, “She’s in the back courtyard. Would you like me to escort you there?”

He was taken through the house, where the sounds of masculine snoring could still be heard coming from some of the rooms. Luka was surprised Adrien’s Lady was up and about instead of lazing around like most money hungry women did. But much to his surprise, when he arrived in the courtyard he saw a scarlet clad figure in _trousers_ of all things, practicing lunges with a sword in hand. _This_ was what she did when not convincing his naive friend to buy her things? Luka couldn’t believe it.

“Excuse me,” he called, causing the red lady to stop and remove her mask. The wild and messy mane of short dark blue hair stuck out wildly. But not as much as her reddish brown eyes. She held her sword point down in one hand and had the mask tucked in the crook of her arm.

“Can I help you?” she asked, tone unimpressed with his appearance halting her practice.

“I…” Luka found himself at a loss for what to say. He had thought up so many ways to tell this woman to back off from using his friend but one look at her and they’d all been forgotten. Now he understood why Adrien was so smitten. She was beautiful.

“If you have nothing to say then leave me in peace,” she turned around and put her helmet back on, “I have to practice.”

“You know,” Luka drawled instantly, without even thinking about it, “It’s much easier to practice when you have a partner.”

“The others around here don’t have the same passion for it as I do,” her voice came put slightly muffled by the mask, “So I have to make do with myself.”

“What a pity,” Luka tutted.

Kagami dropped her stance and removed her mask, “And what would _you_ know about fencing anyways?”

Luka smirked, “You’d be surprised,” he shrugged, “Sword skills have gotten me out of an angry father’s range more than once in my life.”

“Oh,” Kagami hummed with realization that only seemed to disappoint her, “I see. You’re one of _those_ men, aren’t you?”

“And by those men you mean?”

“Blackguards, rogues, undesirables,” she sniffed and tossed her head disdainfully, “Those who ruin the reputations of others merely by association.”

“I’d hardly say that’s fair coming from someone like you,” Luka shot back.

“I don’t know what you mean by that,”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Luka scoffed, “How typical.”

“You talk too much,” Kagami stared at him intensely, not quite glaring, but not welcoming either.

“Funny,” Luka parried, “I’ve been told I have the opposite problem more than once.”

“Really?” Kagami raised a disbelieving brow at him, “And if you have so much trouble with words, how then do you manage to seduce all the women you’ve bedded? Or are you like so many others and pay?”

“I don’t need to rely on a brothel for my desires,” Luka nearly growled, “And just because one isn’t good with words doesn’t mean that words are the only way to woo a lady, or in your case, a woman.”

“Then tell me,” Kagami smirked, “How you go about it.”

“Music,” Luka folded his arms imperiously, “You would be surprised at how effective music is at seducing someone.”

“I’ll believe _that_ when I see it and not a moment sooner,” Kagami said.

“I suppose the same could be said for me and a female fencer,”

Kagami froze, “ _Pardon_?” her voice was calm, eerily calm. It belied the anger Luka was certain was simmering beneath. She was getting mad. Good.

“I’ve never seen a woman able to _hold_ a sword properly, let alone _handle_ one in an effective manner.” Luka said rather haughtily. He didn’t necessarily believe it, but maybe he could use this to his advantage, since it angered her so greatly.

“I will make you regret those words, I promise you,” Kagami held herself with rigid posture and narrowed, defiant eyes.

“How can you?” Luka taunted, “You can’t prove anything without an opponent.”

“Return then,” Kagami challenged, “In a week’s time. And bring a sword, we’ll see who’s laughing then.”

“And what happens if you lose?” Luka asked.

“We’ll settle the terms then, and no sooner,” Kagami replied, “Now if you don’t mind, I have to practice. If you don’t want to be completely embarrassed, I suggest you do the same.”

She was feisty, he’d give her that. But Luka looked out for his friends, there was no way he was going to lose.

MLB

The notes were compiled in an organized fashion and bound together with twine. They were sent and delivered to their intended recipient, and found themselves on a polish and expensive desk. A polished letter opener was used to cut the string away and the papers were combed over one by one. It cost money to have someone tailing his son without being seen. But the boy was growing too reckless for Society.

“So that’s where you’ve been going,” Gabriel Agreste mused as he mulled over the detailed accounts of where his son had gotten off too donning that ridiculous Chat Noir persona of his. Back to Madame Tsurugi’s and always requesting the same girl every time.

“Ladybug, hm?” he considered the name thoughtfully. Ladybugs were known for luck, but if he had any say in it this little bug’s luck had just run out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping to get one more up before the end of the day. Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone!


	5. The Right Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Agreste decided to get to the bottom of his son's late night excursions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this should be the last chapter for the day, but we'll see. Those of you who follow me on tumblr may recognize this as something I posted recently, but I added a little to it as well. Hope you enjoy!

When Lord Gabriel Agreste had arrived at Madame Tsurugi’s after so many years he found himself awash in nostalgia. It had been such a long time, but he doubted the madame herself would grace him with her presence. At least, she wouldn’t for the wrong price. He hadn’t even wanted to come here. After marrying Emilie he had vowed to be faithful to her. It was what she had deserved. But his son was acting strangely. And all anyone had been able to figure out was that it was due to some whore named Ladybug. But that had been it. He needed to stop this senseless mooning. And hopefully, if the right price could make a woman appear, it could just as easily make another one _disappear_.

“I need to speak with your madame,” Gabriel told a few girls lounging around in naught but their delicates. They treated themselves so wantonly and yet wondered why he didn’t react. It was shameless, and inwardly he chided himself for his youthful impetuousness. To think it was the kind of thing that would have once _appealed_ to him, Gabriel shook his head in disgust.

“I’m sorry m’lord,” a faceless girl he had no care to learn the name of replied, curtsying low enough to flaunt her décolleté, “Madame is not in tonight. Is there anything _I_ might help you with?”

“Not unless you have any information on a girl named Ladybug,” he bit back.

Immediately the girl shrank, stuttered out an apology, and darted away. The other girls looked just as timid now. Gabriel sighed, “Is there not a single person here who can tell me about mysterious and elusive Ladybug?”

“That would be me,” a voice came from above and behind him. Gabriel turned to see a woman dressed in rich blue, with pink eyes dotted along the hem Standing on the staircase with a hand on the railing. She was a vision of loveliness to be sure, but nothing Gabriel found even remotely tempting.

“And who might you be?” he raised an unimpressed brow at her.

“You can call me Paon,” she replied smoothly, “Bon soir, Lord Agreste.” The Lady Paon was Madame’s most popular courtesan. Her reputation exceeded this humble brothel and was known throughout Paris. Every man wanted her, but the beautiful bird remained elusive, much like the Ladybug she claimed to know.

“You can really tell me about Ladybug?”

“I can tell you anything,” Paon answered, “For the right price of course.”

“Naturally,” Gabriel agreed, “Shall we take this somewhere more private?”

“But of course,” She nodded, “If you will but come with me.”

MLB

She took him to a private room. It had a bed, a chaise, and a table. Paon rung a small bell and moments later a man arrived. She spoke with him in the doorway and then ushered him off, closing the door behind her and closing them in close quarters.

“I beg your grace’s pardon,” she began, “But I have not had the chance to eat dinner yet. I hope you don’t mind, I requested enough for two.”

“What makes you think I’ll care to eat it?” Gabriel asked her.

Paon shrugged, “I have no care about it either way, after all, _you’re_ the one paying for it.”

“I should have known,” Gabriel muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Please, have a seat,” she indicated the table with its two chairs.

“I have to admit,” Gabriel said as he eased himself into the sturdy seat, “You are a lot younger than I thought you to be.”

“And you are just as observant as your reputation precedes,” Paon replied, “Though I am wondering if it was just as right about your intelligence.”

“Pardon?” she was rather uncouth, for the supposed most desired woman in Paris.

“Can you not put two and two together?” she asked him, “I certainly haven’t lied about anything my reputation has said about me.”

“You’ve been Paris’ most desired woman for over a decade,” Gabriel remarked, “And yet you don’t look a day over thirty.”

“That’s because I’m not. I’m not even thirty,” she replied.

“Then that means that you…” Gabriel trailed off as the realization dawned on him.

Paon brushed a stray lock of reddish hair -so unlike the rest of it, which was black he noted- behind her ear, “I started my work at a very early age, your grace.” As though the reminder of it pained her she strode to a sideboard and began pouring herself a drink, “Wine, your grace?”

“That’s disgusting,” Gabriel said without thinking.

“Come now,” Paon scoffed, “I’ve been told you have an excellent palette. I was actually hoping I might ask for some recommendations. Madame’s selections have been getting rather monotonous as of late.”

“Not that,” Gabriel dismissed the topic as she took a long sip from her glass, once more joining him at the table, “You were, you were only a child.”

“That is the sad and unfortunate truth Lord Agreste,” Paon informed him, “But one that is just as sadly inevitable for someone like me.” She turned her shrewd blue eyes on him, “Do you think it so disgraceful that I am not pure?”

Gabriel immediately sensed that this was a loaded question. It was something Emilie had been incredibly fond of, “Now I didn’t say-”

“Or is it disgraceful that I have become the most sought after woman in Paris for something _other_ than virtue? Is it disgraceful because it truly exposes humanity for the depraved, starved, feral creature it is? Or is it disgraceful because you think of a child doing things no child should ever do? Do you think I should feel ashamed for all that I have done?” Paon idly twirled her glass in one hand while resting her cheek against the back of the other. How had it come to _her_ being the one in control of this conversation?

“But allow me to let you in on a little secret your grace,” she set the wine, “I’m not sorry for what I’ve done, I’m only sorry that I had to do it.”

“Had to?”

“You really think that a girl in my position has a choice?” she laughed, “Truly, the wealthy are far removed from the perils of reality, aren’t they? Let me change your point of view. There is no choice for girls like me, not really. Do you know what choice we have? It is the choice of where to go. Some of us, the lucky one, end up here: as Madame’s girls. Safe, provided for, _protected_ . And the others? The less fortunate? Well,” she let out a breath of mirthless laughter, “I’m sure you’ve seen at least _one_ of them floating down the Seine as you take your morning strolls, do you not?”

The conversation reviled him, but he was saved from having to change the subject when a knock came on the door. Paon sashayed over and answered it. She came back with a tray, which she set down between them. It was only when the aroma of food hit his nose did Gabriel realize how hungry he was.

“I think I might partake in this meal after all,” Gabriel said, reaching for the other of the small plates that had been brought in with it.

“As you wish, your grace,” she demurred. They ate in relative silence, until Gabriel recalled what exactly had brought him here.

“As excellent as this dinner is-”

“I’ll inform the chef of your praise, seeing how it’s so rare,” Paon immediately replied.

“Be that as it may,” Gabriel tried to get the situation back on track, “I came here with you because you said you would tell me about Ladybug.”

“Actually Monseigneur,” Paon corrected, “I said I _could_ tell you about Ladybug, for the right price of course.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes once again, “Of course.” he drew out a small pouch of coins and tossed it at her, “I trust this will do then?”

Paon opened it up and looked inside, “You’re spending the evening with the most sought after courtesan in Paris and you offer this paltry amount?” Her cool blue eyes flicked from the coins to his own and blinked slowly, an imperious pout on her lips, “You insult me, sir.”

“You claim to be worth more than that?” Gabriel was incredulous, he’d not once before in his life met a woman this sophisticated yet irritating.

“I don’t _think_ ,” Paon retorted as she tossed a lock of hair behind her, haughty as any royal, “I _know_.”

“And what, might I ask, is your expected amount?” Gabriel narrowed his gaze at her.

She smirked at him. This whore actually had the gall to _smirk_ at him. “Double it.” she said.

Gabriel was nearly dumbstruck, “Absolutely not!” was his immediate reply, “You are delusional if you think I would pay you that much.”

“It’s far less than what others have paid, considering what you _aren’t_ getting in return,” She shrugged, “But if you’re that obstinate about it you’re free to leave your grace. But,” she said with a smug smile as he stood and made to do just that, “Madame isn’t expected back until _much_ later. And none of the other girls would be able to tell you anything. _Nobody_ knows Ladybug as well as _I_ do.”

Gabriel was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t know if she was telling the truth or not. But if she was and he walked out now, he didn’t doubt that she would be spiteful enough to refuse seeing him again. And if he was wrong, he was out a good amount of money.

“If I find out you’re lying,” he warned as he dropped another small pouch of coins on her side of the table, sitting back down and facing off with her like he would a peer of his own realm.

“I can assure you I’m not,” Paon replied, counting out the money one coin at a time, “Though, why you would want information on Ladybug I’m not sure I understand. You don’t seem the type to chase after younger women, and even if you were: Ladybug has standards.”

“Standards you say?” He felt his eye twitch and a vein in his head throb. She was good at slipping those barbs in when he least expected them. That was certain.

“Handsome as you are your grace, she would never go for someone as old as her own father, rather, old as her own father _would_ have been.”

“An orphan?” he pressed.

“From the time she was, two, three? I can’t recall exactly,” Paon shrugged, more engrossed with perfectly arranging the money in neat stacks of ten, “Why the concern over her, if your grace doesn’t mind my asking.”

“I have no interest in her personally,” Gabriel replied, “It is my son who has been mooning over her for months.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Paon stopped her counting to quickly glance up at him, “I see how it is.”

“I’m fairly you don’t.” Gabriel said through gritted teeth.

“You’re concerned with finding her because your son’s infatuation with her will make it more difficult to sell him off to the biggest dowry, doesn’t it?”

“ _Excuse_ me?”

“Oops.” she tittered behind a hand, “Forgive me your grace, for my impertinence.” why she would ask forgiveness on this and not any of her other transgressions he didn’t understand, “I’m simply used to speaking in a more… shall we say- _free_ manner while in this room.”

“I would ask that you needn’t be so _free_ with me.”

Paon shrugged, “If that is what your grace wishes. Though whatever the reason, it does warm my heart to see a parent so concerned with their child.”

“Brings back memories?”

“Not entirely pleasant ones, and certainly not ones I would wish to discuss with you, but yes. You are correct I suppose.”

“What is your relationship to Ladybug?”

“What is yours to Lord Adrien’s?” she parried.

“I’m his father, you already know this.”

“True,” Paon allowed with a nod, “And as for Ladybug, I’m-” the rest of her sentence was cut short by the chiming of the small clock on her wall, “My goodness!” she exclaimed, standing from the table, “Is that the time already? Well, I suppose you should be going then. It _is_ getting late; unless, you’d like to stay, that is.”

“I would not,” Gabriel replied flatly, rising from his chair as well.

“Of course, of course,” Paon seemed amused, “Very well then, have a pleasant evening Lord Agreste.”

She escorted him to the door. He was out and ready to storm down the hall when something occurred to him.

“Wait just a moment,” his voice stopped her from closing the door, “You didn’t tell me a single thing about Ladybug.”

“Yes I did,” she rebutted.

“Nothing of any import,” he corrected.

“Hmm,” she mused, “I guess you’re right, I really didn’t, did I? But I’m afraid our time for this evening is already up,” She shrugged, but he didn’t miss the smirk that played about her lips as she added, “I suppose you’ll just have to come back tomorrow.”

“Give me one good reason why I should.”

“You want information, and I’m the only one who has it.”

She had him there. But he wasn’t about to leave this establishment empty handed, “Tell me your name.”

“Why should I?”

“I paid quite a pretty franc for useless information,” Gabriel narrowed his eyes at her, “The least you can do is grant me something no other man in Paris who’s spent the evening with you has.”

“And what makes you so sure I haven’t?”

“It would have spread by now if you had,”

Paon seemed to mull this over for a moment or two. At last, she sighed, “I suppose you’re right. But you must never speak it to anyone else.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“Then I can’t promise to tell you.”

His eye twitched again, “Very well.”

“My thanks, your grace,” Paon stepped forward, into his personal space. He caught the sweet yet not cloying aroma of her perfume. Her voice sounded breathless as she whispered it into his ear.

“Nathalie, Lord Gabriel Agreste. My name is Nathalie.”

With that, she pulled back slowly and retreated into her room. But as she closed the door over she caught his eye and said lowly, “Goodnight, your grace.”

“Goodnight,” he bid her as the door clicked shut. In a whisper he added, “ _Nathalie_.”

MLB

“I just don’t know what I should do,” Marinette sniffed, “I like Chat, but I can tell he wants to be more than friends, no matter how okay he seems with it now. But I just can’t give up on Adrien. Not until I can see him again. But he hasn’t come back since that night. I know you don’t think this is the life I would have, or the life I should have, but I got to meet Adrien because of it. So isn’t that wonderful?” Marinette wiped a tear away, not expecting anything but the silence she’d received thus far as she poured her heart out. She looked around and noticed the sun beginning to sink into the horizon. She’d been out of the bordello for far longer than she thought she would be.

“I should really go,” Marinette decided, rising from her seat, “But I’m glad I got to tell you guys everything. Happy anniversary mom and dad, I miss you guys so much.” she kissed her hand and placed it on the shared headstone of her parents, “I promise I’ll try and visit soon. Maybe the next time I come I’ll even be able to introduce you to him. Until then, please watch over me from heaven.”

Dusk was settling in by the time Marinette made her way from the back of the graveyard where her parents had been buried. Aside from being back on time to work, Madame enforced a strict curfew for when to be back because the Red Light District was crawling with all sorts of seedy activity and even seedier characters. And unfortunately, the bodyguards were only contracted to the parameters of Madame’s establishment. Marinette didn’t normally mind being out. But as the night began to close in and the shadows grew bigger and deeper she hurried on, desperate to return to her safe haven and await for either Chat or Adrien to arrive and keep her company. So preoccupied with getting home was she though, that Marinette didn’t notice the cluster of shadows beginning to follow after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Hate it? Need improvement? Leave me a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone!


	6. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is in danger, can she be saved?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE WARNING! PLEASE READ!!!
> 
> I want to preface this chapter with a bit of a content warning. There will be a brief and nongraphic depiction of implied attempted rape. It does not get very graphic but I want to put the warning here so anyone who has issues with them can prepare/ avoid the section accordingly. If you don't want to read it but still want to read the rest of the chapter, skip to the paragraph that begins, "No, no time to think of that now"
> 
> Please read this and know you have been warned. Otherwise, enjoy!

It was incredibly horrifying to feel that chill. That prickle of awareness which told you you were being watched. Marinette couldn’t decide which the better option would be; did she keep walking and hopefully make it back to the bordello safe and sound? Or did she stop and try and get a look at who was following her so if something happened she could tell the Sûreté and hopefully have them taken care of. Then again, if she told them where she lived would that really help her case? She wasn’t high profile like Nathalie was, if something happened to her would anyone even care? No, she couldn’t be so pessimistic. Marinette resolved to simply walk faster and hopefully get there in time.

For whatever reason though, luck was not on Marinette’s side that night. As she passed another alleyway, the last one before the bordello came in sight as it was, she felt hands grab her and haul her in. A group of rough looking thugs were leering at her, some of them fiddling with dirty looking knives. A wet rag was stuffed into her mouth, and ropes were tightly tied around her wrists, securing them behind her back. Tears began to leak from her eyes as the ruffians began making unrepeatable comments. Was she really going to die like this?

Chat Noir was ready and waiting to visit his lady tonight. He had actually had a special gift commissioned for her: a set of posts made to resemble ladybugs. It had taken longer, needing to press the garnets and onyx in perfectly. He wasn’t entirely sure that she had her ears pierced, but if not, certainly he could work something out to do with them. The carriage was taking a leisurely pace, knowing that he would get there with plenty of time. The gas lamps began to light up, illuminating the streets so that people could still find their way around. It was as he was idly watching out the window that he noticed a young girl hurrying on in a similar direction. He also noticed three burly men trailing behind her. And then he saw as she was snatched into a slowly darkening alleyway and the men followed in after her. Without even thinking about it Chat rapped on the ceiling of his carriage, urging it to stop. His driver shot him a confused look, but Chat barely registered it as he raced in after them. Several men were eyeing up the girl, who was now bound and gagged and roughed up a bit. She looked terrified, and Chat had never been more glad of the mask that concealed his identity. How would it look if word got around that Lord Adrien Agreste had been in a fist fight over a girl he didn’t even _know_? Worse yet, what would his _father_ think?

No, no time to think of that now. That girl didn’t deserve the fate that these men obviously intended for her. He needed to rescue her. Thanks to his coloring and stealth, he went unnoticed until he struck. And thankfully, not only had he been trained in most noble forms of combat, thanks to Nino and Luka he also knew several less than gentlemanly forms as well. He managed to render them unconscious, although any time he caught a glimpse of the terror in the poor girl’s eyes he immediately wanted to rip them to shreds and lets the street rats deal with them. But he couldn’t risk his identity being exposed and murder (even if defensive) getting back to the Agreste name. So he incapacitated them and scooped her up, bringing her back to his carriage. She was trembling all over from fright.

He sat he down on the opposite seat and undid her wrists, helping her get the gag that had been stuffed in her mouth to the point of being down her throat out. She gasped for air and began sobbing immediately. The girl held herself together, as if that was the only way to keep her from falling apart completely.

Chat without even thinking about it switched seats and sat next to her, curling an arm around her for comfort as she trembled. When she spoke, it was most definitely _not_ what he had been expecting. An attempt at thanks? A question of who she was, where they were going? All those seemed like perfectly rational ideas.

Not a quavering, “Ch-Chat Noir?”

Instantly he froze. His Chat Noir persona had been causing no trouble as of late. The only hint Chat had been doing was visiting Ladybug at Madame Tsurugi’s. There was no way she should have known who he was.

“How did you know that?”

MLB

_“How did you know that?”_ Instantly Marinette froze. She didn't know what Chat got up to when not visiting with her working self, but clearly she wasn't supposed to know who he was if she wasn't associated with the bordello.

“I, I,” thankfully her nerves were still shot from her earlier encounter, which she could blame her stutter on, “I work at Madame Tsurugi’s” she stammered out. For whatever reason she felt the need to go further, “As a seamstress, I repair everyone’s clothing. A- all the girls talk about you.”

Chat pulled back, though he never took his comforting hand from her person, “I see,” he replied quietly, “And who are you?”

“M,” her teeth were still chattering, “Mar- Marinette,” she managed to get out.

“Do your parents know you’re working in a brothel?” Chat asked, “I’m going to take you to them.”

Marinette shook her head, “C-can’t,”

“Why not?”

“Don’t, h-have parents,” Marinette told him, “Was on my way back from visiting them.”

Chat stared at her in the waxing darkness. Then he rapped at the roof of the carriage. It jerked to a stop and Chat exited it. A moment later he returned and the carriage began to move again. But Marinette felt them turn and she looked to him with a question in her eyes.

“What, where are we going?” she asked him.

“I have a townhouse a short distance away,” Chat replied, “I’m going to have you stay there for the night.”

“But, we were right by Madame’s,” Marinette protested, “I can still go back.”

“No,” Chat replied firmly, “I may have incapacitated those men, but I’m not taking the chance that any of them could wake up and find out where you are. You can stay with me for the evening, and I’ll take you back in the morning.”

“But-” Marinette went to reiterate her argument, but Chat held up a hand and silenced her.

“Are all the girls in that place as strong-willed as you?” he wondered.

“M-me, specifically?” Marinette squeaked. No, it was impossible that he had figured out she was Ladybug.

“I’m thinking of someone else, but you remind me of her,” Chat watched the darkness roll by outside the window as they kept going.

“Do you mean Ladybug?” Marinette ventured.

“You’ve met her?” Chat glanced at her.

“I repair everyone’s clothes,” Marinette shrugged, “Everything rips eventually. Madame believes that if she has someone on staff to fix it, there’s no need to constantly order new things from the modiste.”

“Ladybug likes to sew,” Chat remarked, “Did you teach her how?”

“I,” Marinette hesitated. If she said yes, he might start prying for information about Ladybug from her. But if she said no, then he might wonder more about Ladybug, “I learned sewing from one of the older girls when I was a child,” she replied evasively, “I can imagine Ladybug learned the same way. Or maybe she learned before she came here.”

“You know her?” Chat pressed, “Personally?”

“There are those who know her better,” Marinette dodged, “Can we please change the subject?”

“She must have told you then,” he visibly deflated, “About what happened?”

“She hasn’t told me anything,” Marinette replied. At least that was the truth. It didn’t count as telling if it was first-hand experience right?

“Oh,” he suddenly looked very sheepish, “Well, nevermind then.”

The rest of the ride was spent in silence save for the clattering of the carriage down the cobblestone streets. Slowly, they cantered to a halt. Marinette heard the muffled sounds of the driver hopping to the ground with a large thump. The door was opened and Chat stepped out. When he was clear Marinette began to exit out, but before she could get one foot out the door, Chat scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the steps to the front door. Marinette began to squirm, claiming that she could walk and would he please put her down?

“I want to make sure you’re perfectly okay,” Chat replied, “Do I need to call a doctor?”

“No!” Marinette huffed, “I’m fine,”

“You were bound up and had an alcohol soaked rag stuffed down your throat,” Chat deadpanned, “Forgive me for my gentlemanly concern.”

“I’m fine, if a little inebriated,” Marinette shook her head. And then immediately felt dizzy and groaned from the sudden onset of vertigo. Chat shook his head at her and opened the door, carrying her inside.

“Plagg? Tikki!” he called out into the gloom. Shortly thereafter two sets of footsteps came running.

“Your grace?” they called, the arrival of his butler and housekeeper reassured him.

“Please, Tikki, start a bath running. Plagg, help Tikki by readying a spare bedroom, and grab one of my extra nightshirts.”

“I have a chemise,” Marinette interjected.

“I want everything you were wearing laundered,” Chat replied.

“Which bedroom do you want aired your grace?” Plagg asked.

Chat took a look at Marinette, “The garden room should do nicely.”

Plagg nodded, “As you wish,”

When the bath was ready Marinette was dropped off with Tikki to change. The housekeeper hurriedly bustled about, checking the temperature of the water as well as its level in the tub, stirring some soap in to make suds, helping Marinette undress. She was deposited into the tub and washed, Tikki checked her over for any lasting damage. At worst, all she had was some mild indentations on her skin from the ropes. Tikki helped her out and dried her off, dressing her in the nightshirt that the butler had left. Marinette supposed that while it might have fallen to the ankles on the person it was meant for, on her it dwarfed her completely.

“Oh look at you,” Tikki cooed, “You look adorable like that.”

Marinette lifted her arm only to see the oversized sleeve roll off of it and hang limply past her fingertips, “Um, thank you,” she replied.

She was escorted to a spacious room whose design reminded her of being in a calm garden, surrounded by spring flowers. Must have been why Chat called it the garden room. She was left to put herself to bed. It was just as Marinette slid herself under the covers that the knock sounded off the door.

“Come in,” she said through a yawn.

In stepped Chat Noir, “How are you feeling Princess?”

“I feel tired,” she replied sleepily. At least, she did until his pet name settled in her mind, “Wait, princess?”

He smiled softly at her, “You’re pretty enough to be one, aren’t you?”

She was exhausted from the ordeal, that had to be the only reason why his words caused warmth to bubble up in her stomach and her cheeks. The one he loved was Ladybug, the mask. Still, flattery was appreciated.

“Stop,” she whined in a whisper.

His replying chuckle was soft, “You’re a funny girl Marinette” he glanced down the illuminated hallway and sighed, “I should go.”

“Go where?” Marinette asked.

“Well,” and here he seemed a bit sheepish, “To be quite candid, I was on my way to Madame’s to see Ladybug. I can tell everyone what happened to you when I stop by.”

Even half-asleep Marinette was an expert in panic, “Wait no!” she clutched one of his sleeves. At his concerned and questioning gaze she added, “I mean, you’re taking me back tomorrow right? I can tell them everything then.”

“I should really let them know you’re safe,”

“Please Chat,” she begged, tears in her eyes, “I just, can’t you stay here tonight?”

“Is something wrong?” instantly he was checking her over for any damage his housekeeper might have missed.

“It’s just, I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.” Her cheeks were burning bright at the implications that statement held. But she was desperate to keep him from going back to Madame’s, finding that Ladybug wasn’t there and chancing him putting two and two together.

Chat Noir stared at her for a long moment. Marinette put every ounce of pleading into her stare, hoping against hope that her friend -if he truly considered himself that- would stay with her no matter what guise she was in. At last his head dipped to the side and a soft smile spread across his lips, “As my princess commands, her knight shall obey,” he motioned for her to move over slightly, and then he joined her, atop the covers.

Despite how deceptive her motives might have been Marinette couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped her when one of the people she trusted most agreed to stay with her. And perhaps despite the fact that she should have had nightmares following such an ordeal, she slept peacefully.

MLB

“Back so soon My Lord?” Nathalie asked Gabriel as she had him brought to her room again.

“I don’t like to be kept waiting,” he informed her, “I like it even less when I haven’t gotten what I’ve been promised.”

Nathalie shrugged lazily, “It’s not _my_ fault you’re so easily distracted,” she parried, “Then again, I can’t help but be a distraction, it _is_ my job after all.”

“Please,” Gabriel scoffed, “You’re not nearly as alluring as you seem to think you are.”

“I don’t need to think it when there are hordes of men willing to prove my point at the drop of a hat,” Nathalie shot back, “See what I mean?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You mean you didn’t notice?”

“I didn’t come here to be led around in circles Nathalie,” Gabriel stared at her flatly.

“You didn’t come here to discuss my numerous clients and my ability to distract men from their problems either, and yet here we are,” she shrugged with a smug smirk.

“Tell me about Ladybug,” Gabriel sat down, “What do you know about her?”

“Depends on what you want to know,” Nathalie shrugged as she took the seat across from him, “And what you’re willing to do to get it.”

“Here,” Gabriel dropped another pouch of money on the table, but as Nathalie reached for it he pulled it out of her grasp, “Not so fast,” he chided, “Tell me about Ladybug first, then you’ll get your money.”

Nathalie raised her brow at him, “Fine,” she huffed, leaning forward and resting her chin on her steepled fingers, “What do you want to know about her?”

“How old is she?”

“She’s young,” Nathalie raked her gaze over him, “Much too young for you, with all respect due your grace,”

“How old is she?”

“Young enough,” Nathalie parried, “I did practically _raise_ her after all. She was only three, or was it four, when I found her.”

“And how old are you then?” Gabriel rolled his eyes.

Nathalie smiled and tapped the side of her nose, “Don’t you know it’s impolite to ask a woman her age your grace?” she scoffed teasingly, “And you call yourself a gentleman.”

“I am beginning to lose too much of my patience to act the gentleman,” Gabriel’s tone and temper were short with how this woman managed to wring payment out of him without giving him what he was due, “Answer me directly, or else I’m leaving and I’ll take my money with me.”

She let out a huff of smug laughter, “Go ahead,” she dared him, calling his bluff, “There’s several other gentlemen waiting for me to entertain them downstairs. I’m the most desired woman in Paris your grace, you think I’d really be idle and unaccompanied without your prying?”

Gabriel felt his eye twitch. Every fiber of his being wanted to get up and walk out. But he hadn’t seen Ladybug herself when he’d walked in before. Though…

“Is Ladybug even _here_?”

And Nathalie lost the teasing look for a more somber and serious one, “She has the night off, tonight, though I doubt she remembers,” she said quietly.

“Why? Do you know where she is?”

“Because it’s the anniversary of her parents’ deaths,” Nathalie snapped, “And you want to take the opportunity to interrogate a sweet child who has had nothing to do with your son since the night you sent him to us at such a time?” her gaze was icy with her anger and distaste, “You can keep your money _your grace_ ,” she spat his title at him with as much venom and derision as she could muster, “I don’t need it.”

Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere Gabriel stood to depart. But before he could exit there came an insistent pounding on the door.

“Here pretty birdy,” a drunken man slurred as he banged on the door more insistently, “Papa’s come home tonight and he’d love to hear you sing for him.”

A questioning look, though not at all free from disgust, was what crawled across Gabriel’s face as he turned back to face her. For her part Nathalie rolled her eyes and let out a noise of her own distaste.

“Who is he?” Gabriel whispered.

“Unimportant,” Nathalie dismissed, “What _is_ important is that he’s been tossed out before for drinking to excess and not paying his tab. And he thinks he owns me, despite me being the most expensive thing here,” she sighed and pushed some of her hair out of her face. And then she lit up like she’d had an epiphany, “I’m very sorry,” she apologized, “But I’m afraid I’m going to need your assistance with something.”

Considering how smart a man Gabriel considered himself one would be surprised he didn’t catch on immediately.

“What are you-”

Nathalie quickly rose and pulled him from his spot only to roughly push him to the bed. Without warning she crawled on top of him and began disheveling his clothes, running her hands all over him to muse his appearance properly.

“My sincerest apologies your grace,” she whispered as she draped her curls across him and began latching onto his neck. Gabriel was about to question why she was doing all of this when the lock to the door collapsed and the man stumbled in.

Ever the consummate actress, Nathalie raised her head and cast a disdainful glare at the alleged interloper, “Do you mind?” she asked imperiously, “Can’t you see I’m _otherwise occupied_?”

Gabriel heard a roar of rage and footsteps enclosing. But before either of them could be intercepted he heard a thud. Nathalie retreated far enough to allow him to turn his head. Gabriel blanched when he saw the interloper was one of his more respected peers. And the fear that he had been seen, even by a drunken man who was too busy railing against the muscle that was escorting him out to even _notice_ who the man in the bed with his alleged bird was, caused him to stumble off the mattress with far less dignity than he was accustomed to.

Nathalie, however, looked immaculate, not a hair out of place as she smoothed imagined wrinkles from her gown. Quickly checking the placement of her jewelry she began to set him to rights as well. Gabriel was still too in shock to object.

“He never learns,” she said as a way of explanation, buttoning his shirt and retying his cravat, “I stopped seeing him _months_ ago because he was claiming he never had enough money when we were finished, this after telling me he wanted to make sure I hadn’t lost my touch. There,” she proclaimed after smoothing out his hair as best she could, “You look more or less presentable. Any dishevelment you could claim was caused by the wind.”

“I’ve been seen,” came Gabriel’s horrified whisper.

Nathalie raised a brow at him, having heard him say something but not what it was, “Come again?”

“I’ve been seen!” there was panic in his eyes as he whirled on her, “My reputation will be shot because I’ve been seen. And in a compromising position with _you_ , no less.”

Nathalie narrowed her gaze at him and placed a hand on her hip, “Most men would consider it a privilege to be caught in a compromising position with me,” she said pointedly, “And if it’s the Comte Lefevre you’re worrying about you most certainly needn’t. Every time he comes here he drinks himself into such a stupor that he can’t remember what’s happened the next day. You’ll be fine.”

“I can’t,” Gabriel pushed away from here, “No information is worth this risk. I’m going,” he proclaimed after checking his appearance for himself, “and I won’t be coming back.”

Nathalie rolled her eyes with a smile, “That’s what they _all_ say,” she replied.

“The only difference is that _I_ mean it,” Gabriel practically spat, buttoning his coat and hurrying out to his carriage. His nerves were shot the entire way home and he resolved over and over again never to go back. A decision that only became more affirmed when he discovered that Nathalie had taken the opportunity to divest him of the payment he’d had dangled in front of her. And all without telling him a single thing about Ladybug.

MLB

“Nino?” Rena asked, looking surprised to see him here.

“I’m flattered you remember my name,” the musician replied, “I couldn’t forget you,”

“How could I forget you?” Rena asked with a smile, “When you show up so frequently?”

“I wouldn’t have to if I could convince you to come with me,” Nino took her hands in his.

“Oh Nino,” Rena shook her head and looked away from him, “I can’t leave.”

“Why not?” Nino asked, “I can support you, we could be together.”

“This is all happening so fast,” Rena pulled away and stood from the bed. As she put more distance between them she placed a hand against her forehead as if it was giving her a headache, “You really don’t know anything about me.”

“I don’t need to know you to love you,” Nino countered.

“Nino, you can’t just jump into a relationship with someone because you have a good time with them,” Rena protested, “You need to be able to trust in who the person says they are. For goodness sake you don’t even know my real _name_! How can you say you love me?”

“Because I can feel it in my heart,” Nino replied, “I’ve never felt this way before. Whenever I’m not with you, I’m thinking about when I can be with you again. And while I enjoy what we do when I’m here, I want to do more than that. I want to take walks with you along the Seine. I want to write music just to have you hear it, I want to watch the seasons pass with you by my side. And you can tell me you don’t think that’s love?”

“I,” Rena hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at something, “Nino, I’m sorry,” her face was remorseful, “I can’t, not as I am.”

“And what would it take?” Nino asked.

“Would you forgive me anything?” Rena asked, “Any offense I might commit?”

“Would you be sorry about it?” Nino countered.

“I,” and here she hesitated again, biting her lip for good measure, “I can’t say that I would,” Rena couldn’t meet his gaze, casting it instead to the floor.

“I would have to know what it is,” Nino told her, “We could work through whatever this is together, but you have to trust me enough to tell me.”

“I can’t,” Rena shook her head, “Not now, maybe not ever.”

“But-”

“Believe me Nino,” Rena now took his hands, “I _do_ like you, I really, really do. But to accept your love like this… I feel like I’d be lying to you and I was always taught that love should be honest. I’m sorry,” she pushed herself away from him, “But I think you should go now.”

“But Rena,” Nino reached for her.

“Just go!” she exclaimed, “I’ll find a way to explain this. Just, take the chance and go before they force you to pay when you don’t need to.”

“This isn’t over Rena,” Nino asserted, “I will be back, and I _will_ get to the bottom of this,”

As the door closed behind him Rena looked at the small book by her bedside, “Trust me Nino,” she whispered to herself, “You will, and so will all the rest of Paris.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you guys thought, comments make my day. Until next time everyone.


	7. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day, and a few days after that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to keep these chapters as even, word count wise, as I can. At the same time, natural stopping points are natural stopping points and if one hits in a better place than another who am I to go on?

Adrien was enjoying a quiet breakfast early the next morning when he heard the door slam open and footsteps echo through the house. He hoped it hadn't woken Marinette, but unwilling to take the chance that it might have he scrambled for his mask.

“Adrien!” It was Luka, “You up?”

“Shh!” Adrien hurried out to meet him. Marinette knew him from stories at the brothel as Chat, and he didn't intend to inform her of any different right now.

“Why are you still wearing that mask?” Luka asked him, “It’s daylight already.”

“I happen to have a guest upstairs who is only acquainted with Chat,” Adrien hissed, “And I would prefer to keep it that way.”

Luka has to stifle a groan, “Please,” he begged, “ _please_ tell me you didn't bring that red lady of yours home with you last night.”

“What? No!” Adrien felt his cheeks heat under the mask, “I ended up rescuing a different girl who works at the brothel from a rather unfortunate fate. And I didn't want to chance the ruffians coming after her. They had been following her Luka, it isn't unlikely they'd know where she is if I'd brought her back there.”

“So…” Luka drawled doubtfully, “Having her stay here in your townhouse with you was the best idea. Yeah,” he scoffed, “I believe that.”

“Believe what you like,” Adrien dismissed, “I'm telling the truth.”

“Of course you are,”

“Was there something you needed? Or did you just come here to interrogate me on how I deal with damsels in distress?”

“I need to borrow one of your fencing swords,” Luka admitted, almost sheepishly.

Even with the mask on Adrien was able to raise a skeptical brow at him, “Why?”

“I…” Luka rubbed the back of his head, the sheepishness only increasing, “I _may_ have gotten myself in a situation where a duel is the only way out?”

“Luka!” Adrien groaned, “Who’s daughter did you take to bed this time?”

“No one!” Luka quickly assured him, “I just _happened_ to insult someone’s honor and they challenged me to a duel, that's all.”

“Mhmm,” Adrien stared flatly at his friend, “Just like how my bringing home Marinette was such a _great_ _idea_ , right?”

“Marinette?” Luka pressed.

“That's her name,” Adrien defended, “She works as a seamstress, repairing the other girls’ clothes.”

“Uhuh,” Luka replied.

“Back to your fencing problem,” Adrien decided to change the subject, “What kind of blade do you need?”

“I'm not sure to be honest,” Luka replied.

“Well… what kind of blade is your opponent using?”

“Not entirely sure about that either,” Luka scratched the back of his head.

“Were you at least able to see it?” Adrien asked, “Can you describe it for me?”

“It looked like any other fencing sword,” Luka parried, “You know they all look the same to me.”

“I suppose a novice wouldn’t know the difference,” Adrien hummed, “What type of guard did it have?”

“Guard?”

“The thing that protects the hand,” Adrien clarified, “Near the hilt. Was it big?”

“Yes, actually,” Luka remembered a bit more clearly now, “It was big and round, it practically covered the whole hand.”

“Then it would seem like you’re fighting sabre,” Adrien tutted, “Be careful about that Luka, sabre is one of the most offensive weapon styles in fencing. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“I’ll be fine,” Luka assured him, “Now, how about that Marinette? You said she works at the brothel.”

“As a seamstress,” Adrien quickly defended, though he didn’t know why he was so vehement about her status within their workforce, “She fixes clothes.”

“I’m sure…”

“Um, excuse me? Chat?” Marinette’s voice broke in gently. Immediately Adrien went stock still, wondering how much of their conversation she had heard and if she was just calling him Chat to be polite.

Fixing a hospitable smile in place Adrien decided to go full on theatrical. He spun around and gave an elegant bow, “And a good morrow to you my princess,” he kissed her hand like a courtly knight of old, “How were your dreams last evening? Have you broke your fast yet? Allow me to escort you to the dining hall for some sustenance.”

She looked confused, and Chat took advantage of that moment to place her as far away from Luka and that conversation as he could manage, hissing "I'll deal with you _later_ ," over his shoulder. It was only when he had her seated and a plate of food in front of her that she seemed to crack. But rather than question him on his behavior, she began to laugh, hysterically. So hard, in fact, that he began to worry about her health as she was wheezing when she wasn’t laughing.

“What was  _that_?” she managed to get out between guffaws.

“What was what Princess?” Chat asked her.

“You didn’t act a thing like, like that last night.”

“I was a little more concerned by your wellbeing,” Chat replied, “It wasn’t exactly the time for comedy.”

“And you’re as theatrical as that normally?” Marinette raised a brow at him, “I seriously doubt it.”

“You can believe what you like Princess,” Chat teased, “This Chat’s lips are sealed.”

“If you say so- oh!” Marinette seemed to have notice something, but she was too uncomfortable to point it out beyond her initial sound of realization.

“What is it Princess?” Chat asked.

“It’s nothing really,” Marinette began to wave it off, “It’s just that… well…”

“You don’t have to hide your thoughts from me you know,” Chat told her, “Whatever you want to say, you can say it.”

“There’s a tear in your jacket!” Marinette blurted out, immediately covering her hands with her mouth.

Chat blinked, “Come again?”

“At the seam, on one of the sleeves,” Marinette explained, “I couldn’t help notice it.”

Chat shrugged off his jacket and looked it over. Sure enough, she was right. At the seam where the sleeve met the torso there was a sizeable rip. Considering it was the same jacket from last night he wouldn’t have been surprised if there weren’t a few more rips. The men hadn’t gotten a chance to attack, but they’d been carrying blades nonetheless.

“I can fix it for you, if you like,” Marinette cast her gaze to the ground, “All I’d need is a needle and thread, it’ll look as good as new.”

“You promise that?” she nodded, “Alright,” Chat said, “Tikki!”

“Yes your grace?” the housekeeper poked her head through.

“Bring Miss Marinette here a needle and some thread, she wants to fix my jacket for me.”

In less than five minutes, Marinette had her supplies and a finished jacket in her hands. Chat examined the work, she’d been right. The fix was so cleverly done he couldn’t tell there’d been a rip there at all. Chat was impressed, this was the type of skill that came from years of practice. And then he thought back to the fate that awaited her if he brought her back.

“Marinette,” he cleared his throat, rather uncomfortably as this was an incredibly delicate subject he was broaching, “Do you have any other duties at Madame’s?”

“Only the normals ones,” Marinette shrugged, “Cleaning, sweeping, restoring order to the rooms… the usual chores.”

“And, there is a curfew you keep?”

“Not as of late,” Marinette shook her head, “Why?”

“Marinette, have you been taking clients?” clearly he wasn’t getting anywhere with delicacy, so he’d just have to be frank.

“You mean?” her eyes widened, “Oh,”

“Has Madame put you up for auction?” Chat whispered.

“She’s wanted to for a long time,” Marinette replied carefully.

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen,”

Chat hissed through his teeth, “You’re far too young for something like that. But if you stay she’ll keep pressuring you to.”

“I’ve certainly felt the pressure,” Marinette admitted, what she omitted was the fact that she _had_ succumbed to it and that he’d been her most frequent customer.

Chat looked pensive for a few moments, lost in thought as he stared right through her. Eventually he shook his head as though he'd come to a decision.

“Well, that settles it then,” he nodded again.

“Settles what?” Marinette asked.

“I want you to come here and live with me.”

Marinette couldn't function properly for a solid minute, half of which was spent in stunned and bewildered silence. And when she did tried to speak, it was in incoherent mess of guttural sounds and sputters.

“Yes, you heard me right,” Chat affirmed. When she began to protest he interjected with this, “Listen to me Marinette, there is nothing there for you. Nothing except a life with eternally rotating bedpartners and empty affection that only lasts long enough to put money in your hands. Are you telling me that’s what you want?”

“Well, no, but-”

“You're too talented for it anyways,” Chat continued, “And isn't there someone you love? Someone you want to spend the rest of your life with? With them and only with them?”

“I do have someone…” she murmured, thinking of Lord Adrien Agreste and how kindly he’d treated Ladybug that ageless night so long ago.

“Do you really think he would want to know that, _that’s_ what you've been doing with your life?”

And then, the anger began to burble in her feet. How _dare_ he insinuate something like that. How _dare_ he say that about people like Nathalie, who'd taken the time to raise her like a daughter, like Alya, who was more positive and optimistic than any normal girl Marinette had ever seen? About Kagami, whose name would forever carry the stain of her mother’s legacy, and who would never escape that shadow so long as noblemen and people like Chat continued to think like this. Logically, Marinette knew this was an opportunity meant with all the kindness in the world, because Chat was not the type for intentional maliciousness. But the snide and condescending attitude he took to the life she had known for so long, the life that provided her with home and a family, made her want to reject it out of hand.

“With all due respect,” Marinette said through clenched teeth, “I think I better return to my brothel and await my tainted life while stitching ripped clothes caused by hypocrites like you.”

“Hypocrite?” Chat blinked, “What are you talking about?”

“You claim to love Ladybug, but isn’t she tainted merchandise?” Marinette raised an unimpressed brow at him, “This is a system you purport to hate but continue to support. Do you think of Ladybug as used goods the same way you seem to think _I_ will be if I stay there?”

And suddenly he realized his mistake, “Wait, Marinette, that’s not-”

“And what about Paon huh? What about Rena? What about the people who helped to raise and support me? The people who are my _friends_? The people that had no choice in what they became thanks to people like _you_? And forgive me, but when my parents died I didn’t see any noble families coming to take me in. If I hadn’t happened upon N- Paon do you really want to know what would have happened to me? I would have ended up either roaming the streets or in an orphanage. Either way, I would have been right back in that brothel, or perhaps in a less well-managed one. I could have been forced into the role you would hate for me to join despite the one you apparently love doing the same thing, but much younger. Or is it different because it’s Ladybug?”

“Ladybug is a special woman,” Chat defended, drooping further and further with each word that came out of his mouth.”

“Oh, so because you’ve been with her for so long it doesn’t matter that she’s still impure; you know, the standard your world _runs_ on? Is that it?” Marinette folded her arms and stared at him flatly.

“I couldn’t save Ladybug from her fate,” Chat lamented, “I couldn’t even convince her to leave it behind. Is it so wrong that I want to save you? That I want to help protect someone from that life? I know there’s nothing there for you. That doesn’t mean that the people who have no choice are any less. I’m sorry if I insinuated as much. But I saved you from such a fate once and it terrifies me that it could be happening to others all over the city.”

Marinette was touched by his actions, but she was still a little peeved at him, “Then do something about it.” she challenged.

Chat shook his head, “I’m just one man,” he admitted, “I can’t save an entire city’s worth of girls. But I can save one. Please Marinette, let me save you. Let me take you away from that world. Say you’ll stay here with me.”

His plea was touching, heartwarming even. But Marinette didn’t know if it was such a good idea. The arms that had been folded across her chest moved to hold herself, “I don’t know,” she murmured, doubts evident, “That place, it’s all I’ve ever known for so long… and I really don’t know you either. I mean, you wear a mask for heaven’s sake.”

“I promise you there’s a good reason for that,” Chat replied, “If I could I would tell you my identity. But for your own protection, it’s better that you don’t know.”

“Do your other servants know?” Marinette asked.

“They do,” he admitted, “But only because I had this place before I became Chat Noir, and it’s too difficult to find servants as trustworthy and loyal as they are.”

“But I’m never going to be allowed to know if I stay, am I?”

“You would never know if you left,” Chat offered, “Marinette, I promise, that if I can help it, and if you can prove yourself trustworthy I’ll tell you everything. Will that convince you?”

Marinette mulled it over in her head for a long while. There had certainly been instances where she’d worried that Chat would come looking for Ladybug and find only her. She didn’t know how he might accomplish this, especially considering he’d promised that he wouldn’t pry. Living here with him would only increase that risk. And yet, despite that, the golden opportunity that was being dangled in front of her was too tempting. Chat wouldn’t have to spend his money talking to Ladybug, and she wouldn’t have to worry about Chat not getting there in time one night. As of yet Lord Adrien hadn’t come back. Perhaps she had imagined the connection she’d sensed between him and Ladybug that first night. Either way it was foolish to reject such an opportunity while holding out hope to a man she’d only spoken to once, who only knew her by the thinnest veneer of a mask. He knew she’d been brought to him as a brothel worker, a man that high ranking in society could never possibly be with her. Hadn’t Nathalie told her that? It had been too late at the time, but now?

She sighed, “Alright Chat, I’ll come and live here with you.”

Now was the time to move forward, regardless of where her heart lay.

MLB

“Are you sure you want to do this Marinette?” Nathalie asked as she watched some of the men who worked in the brothel help the girl load up her meager possessions into the carriage Chat Noir had sent her back in. He claimed to have other things to do, and so could not accompany her.

Marinette oversaw the progress as she said her goodbyes, “Yes,” she nodded, “Much as I hated his attitude about it, he did have a point. Nathalie, what future is there here for me? I don’t want to do this, and now I have the opportunity to do more. And look at it this way, you can finally take one of those offers. You won’t have to worry about me, you can finally leave here too.”

Nathalie sighed, “Marinette, I know I said that, but-”

“Nathalie,” Marinette cut in gently, “Didn’t you always say that if a better offer came I should take it without hesitation?”

A sad smile crossed her lips, “I did. I just can’t believe you remembered that.”

“I won’t get a better offer than this,” Marinette took her by the hands and searched her mother figure’s eyes, pleading, “Nathalie please.”

“How could I ever ask you to stay when we know this was never what you wanted?” a tear pooled in her eye and she quickly wiped it away, “You’ll write, won’t you? Remember us here?”

“How could I ever forget you?” Marinette sniffed, “When you’ve been my everything for so long?”

The two women shared a hug, the elder cradling the younger’s head, “Alright Marinette,” she whispered, “Take care,”

“You too Nath,” Marinette replied, burrowing deeper into the curve of her neck before pulling away. They still clung to each other’s arms, a little reluctant to let go after so many years spent together.

When Marinette went to say goodbye to Kagami she found the other blue-haired girl fencing her shadow. Swinging the blade with precision she seemed utterly engulfed in her work. As such, Marinette had to call her name a few times before Kagami noticed her and stopped. She was panting from the exertion of her practice and the heat from wearing her protective mask.

“What’s wrong Marinette?” Kagami asked.

“I’m leaving,” Marinette shrugged, “I came to say goodbye.”

“That mangy cat finally caught you, didn’t he?” Kagami raised a brow at her.

“Yes, but not in the way either you or he thinks,” Marinette replied.

She related the tale of last night to the girl, who remained remarkably impassive throughout. When it was over, Kagami shrugged again.

“Hm, sounds complicated. When are you going to tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

“If you think he isn’t going to come back and see Ladybug one final time you are just as clueless as he is.”

“What do you mean by that?”

‘How are you going to manage Chat?”

“I won’t be here,” Marinette shrugged, “If he comes back and asks, you can tell him the truth.”

“You want us to tell him you already moved in with him?”

“Not _that_ truth,” Marinette clarified, “But you can tell him Ladybug has found a man and moved in with him.

Kagami clucked her tongue, “We’re losing everyone I get along with, aren’t we?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Alya’s gone too.”

“Alya, really?”

“We woke up one morning and everything of hers was gone. Not that that was much,” Kagami shrugged again, “All she ever seemed to keep in her room were clothes and that little notebook she would never let anyone touch.”

“And she just ran off in the night without anyone questioning anything?”

“You know how mother is about me being around when customers are,” Kagami replied, “And with all the intoxication that the guests pay for, I can imagine it was.”

Marinette cast her eyes to the ground, “That’s unfortunate, I liked Alya.”

“She was a good friend, to everyone,” Kagami affirmed, “Well, if you’re off then I guess this is it.”

“I’ll try to visit when I can,” but it wasn’t a promise Marinette offered, it was only a hope.

Kagami nodded, “I hope to see you soon,” she offered a one armed hug, the other holding her sabre and mask. Marinette wrapped her arms around her almost twin, her mirror image in a way. When she pulled back she settled the mask on again, “Good luck Marinette, now,” she swished the lethal blade in front of her, pulling down in front of her face and slicing it out to the side, “If you’ll excuse me, I still have to practice.”

“What are you practicing for anyways?” Marinette asked.

“There is a chauvinistic pig who needs to be taught a lesson,” Kagami answered enigmatically, “And I want to be certain that his arrival in three days will surely teach him.”

“Oh, okay,” Marinette nodded, “Show him what Kagami Tsurugi is made of, okay?”

“Oh believe me,” Kagami thrust and parried against an invisible opponent with deadly precision, “I plan on it.”

MLB

When the morning of the challenge came Luka had to swallow the pit of nerves in his stomach. Why he was feeling this apprehension he didn’t know. It was just a girl, a girl with a sword, true, but a girl nonetheless. Luka shouldn’t have been worried. While he might not have had the years of formal training that Adrien did he did have his wits and his quick feet.

Still, the feeling of foreboding and dread that settled deep into his gut refused to abate, only increasing as he drew closer and closer to the bordello. He knocked on the door and was escorted inside. He took a stiff glass of brandy to settle his nerves and downed it in three sips. Satisfied he left some coins on the counter and gripped the handle of the rapier tightly. A steadying breath went in and out of his lungs and he ventured into the back courtyard. There she stood, Adrien’s Red Lady. Luka regretted speaking to her in such a fashion, but if he could just win this, he could force her away from his friend and perhaps they could start over. He was doing this all for Adrien, he reminded himself, there was no way he could back out now.

“You’re here,” she remarked to him, no intonation to provide him with insight into her thoughts, “I was wondering if you might not.”

“I keep my word,” Luka narrowed his eyes at her, “Will you keep yours?”

“If you can prove yourself, I don’t see why I wouldn’t,” she replied. She pulled the blade close to her uncovered face, dividing it in half from his viewpoint. With ingrained ease, she flicked it out to the side and slide automatically into the fencing stance. With the sword raised and waiting for his she stared right into his eyes. She was determined, and fierce, and Luka swallowed heavily. He was in trouble, and not just from the sword.

Her reddish-brown eyes bored into his as her muscles tensed and relaxed, causing a slight bouncing in her stance. When the man settled into his stance and placed his blade against hers Kagami felt her blood begin to pound. Exciting, she was excited.

She licked her lips and evened out her breathing. With one word it was on, “Engarde!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed it. Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone


	8. The Duel, on Both Fronts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as long as I had originally planned but a good and complete chapter nontheless. Hope you like it!

**** Clash! Bang! Ring! All these sounds and more emerged from the back courtyard of Madame Tsurugi’s brothel. Metal crashed against metal as two opponents went up against each other. It was a dance with only instinct for their choreography. Circling, spinning, thrust, parry, dodge. Sweat slicked down their faces as the match dragged on and on. In the end they had to stop at a draw for a break.

It was as Luka finished off a glass of water to clear his head that he realized something, “What were the terms of this duel?” he asked her.

Kagami blinked, “I thought we had established them already, did we not?”

Both of them thought they had already established this and had to now think of what they should use as the deciding factor. Fatality was out of the question, first blood was just a little gauche, eventually they decided on first pinned was the loser.

Now knowing what they were fighting for their attacks were much more focused as opposed to the more performative attacks they had favored earlier. Kagami was clearly the more technically skilled of the two, practicing every day for hours upon end. The callouses on her fingers under her glove were proof of that. However, Luka had a natural litheness and grace which streamlined his form and allowed him to be less precise with his movements of attacking, meaning there was more room to improvise at the last moment because they were not so rigidly controlled. Luka was also a master of distraction.

“Getting frustrated ma dame rouge?” he asked with an insufferable smirk on his face, “Or just distracted?”

“What’s there to be distracted by?” Kagami replied through gritted teeth. “Certainly not the view, there isn’t much to look at.”

“Ouch,” Luka grinned, “Touche,”

“You clearly are,” Kagami narrowed her eyes, “But I believe the point’s mine.”

“With how hard you’re swinging I’d have to be in the next town not to get the point.”

“Keep it up, and you’ll be getting the shaft instead of the point,” Kagami growled.

“Mercy,” Luka faux-begged, “I’m not good with words, could you refrain from stealing my lines?”

“I could,” Kagami said with an unaffected affectation, “But then I find they suit me much better.”

While they distracted each other with banter and swordplay one of them was clearly paying more attention to the less important facet. When she saw the opportunity arise Kagami struck, she dropped low with her knees, kicking one leg out and sweeping Luka’s out from under him. He hit the ground with a thud, his sabre dropping with a muted clatter on the ground a scant distance away. As he tried to reach for it he felt a pressure flat against his chest and the cold poke of metal at his throat. Casting his gaze upward revealed his opponent looking down the long end of her sword at him, foot planted to keep him firmly on the ground. With a victorious smirk she leaned down, weapon and heel never moving even as he had to swallow past an awed lump in his throat.

With her face mere inches away from him she ended it, “Game, set, match.”

“Not fair,” Luka groaned dazedly, lifting his head from the ground.

“Funny,” Kagami replied, “I don’t recall either one of us specifying this was to be a  _ fair _ fight.”

“Alright,” Luka held up his hands and she backed off of him, “You win, what do you want?”

“Your penalty,” she mused, mulling over what were likely several options in head, “Will be to remain as my sparring partner from now on.”

Luka couldn’t believe it, “You’re kidding right?”

She shook her head, “No,” she answered as she offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet, “I need a partner, and you know how to fence. Every day you must spend time fencing with me. That is my command.”

“Alright,” Luka was going to have to borrow the sabre for longer than he’d anticipated, “I would like to warn you though, I have other things that need to be accomplished.”

“We do not need to practice here,” she reasoned, “Surely you have space for it.”

He didn’t, but there were surely some places that would. Another thing to consult Adrien on, “Fine, but keep in mind I might need to cancel sometimes, my work will call me.”

“Very well,” Kagami agreed, “Now tell me, what is your name?”

“Luka Couffaine,” Luka answered, “And you?”

“Kagami,” she replied, “Kagami Tsurugi.”

MLB

When he had said he would never again grace the bordello’s doors, Nathalie had taken it to mean that he would never come again. Which meant that she had gotten a pretty bit of coin for talking about nothing for a few hours. Which was fine by her, it was easier than pretending she cared, or that any of the louts who begged for her made her feel anything than cold indifference and a rush of power when she saw how easily she could make them come undone. Instead, as she was getting ready to entertain once more she was informed that there was a carriage waiting for her.

“Pardon?” she’d looked at the girl who’d come to inform her, “Who’s carriage is it?”

“They won’t say,” the girl replied, “The man is big and scary and all he has is a card with your name on it.”

“My name?” Nathalie questioned.

“Your name, your  _ actual _ name. Not Paon’s.” the girl affirmed, “Who outside of us even  _ knows _ your real name?”

Nathalie’s eyes narrowed, she knew who, “Tell the Madame it looks like I’ll be making a house call this evening.” Nathalie finished applying her makeup and added a bit of perfume to her pulse points.

“But, will she really allow that?” the girl looked fearful.

“Oh, she’ll allow it,” Nathalie was glaring at her reflection in the mirror, “I’ll be sure I get paid. I’ll squeeze him for every last drop.”

“Madame does trust you,” fearful still of Nathalie’s murderous gaze she scurried out.

A low, malicious, evil chuckle escaped Nathalie as the girl fled. Nathalie made sure everything about her was pristine, irresistible.

“You want me Lord Agreste,” she muttered as she swept a coat on over her normal clothes and breezed out the doorway into the waiting ride, “Well, you’ll get me, and everything that’s coming to you along with me.”

* * *

 

He’d been alerted to his carriage’s arrival just a few minutes prior. She was here, and he would have her meet him here in his study. It was informal, more so than the dining hall or parlor, but it was more formal than going back to that godforsaken place a third time. He couldn’t risk rumors getting out, and every time he went there he was inviting disaster to strike. Gabriel had worked too hard to build up his legacy, he would not let it come crumbling down because of some impertinent little chit who had wrapped his son around her finger so tightly he couldn’t see straight anymore. Calm, calm, he was working himself up over nothing. To steady his nerves he took a sip of the wine he’d been clutching in his hands.

Footsteps echoed from down the hall, muffled only by the heavy wooden doors that closed this place off from the rest of the townhouse. With a slight creaking the door opened. Of course, he only knew this from sound. He was facing the fireplace, his back to the door. He wouldn’t give this concubine the satisfaction of his gaze just yet.

“You know,” she began without formality, already an indicator of how this was going to go, “Most people, when they want to call on you, will send a messenger or a letter, not a carriage.”

“And I told you,” he parried as she came to stand in front of him, “I will not be setting foot into that accursed brothel again.”

“May I ask why?”

“Do you even realize how much danger I court each time I go there? What it could do to my reputation if my meetings with you were to be discovered by the Ton?”

“Oh,” she smirked, “So meetings is the word we’re going with here, is it?”

“That is  _ not _ the point to be focusing on here,” Gabriel tightened his grip on the stem of his wine glass.

“My apologies,” she waved him off, “It’s just a bit novel for me. Rarely can I call any of my events meetings.”

“One guess as to what they’re normally called,” Gabriel muttered, but she heard him all the same.

“Trysts, lisasions, appointments is a popular euphemism actually,” Nathalie shrugged, “Forgive me, I seem to be driving us off the subject,”

“As per usual with you,” Gabriel raised an unimpressed brow at her, “Are you actually going to talk about Ladybug this time around or should I just send you back now?”

“Oh that won’t do at all,” Nathalie placed her hands at her hips, “I was only even allowed out here because I promised I would get my fee. You know how this arrangement goes.”

“Twice I have been duped and I will not tolerate it a third,” Gabriel took another sip, “Tell me what I want to know, and if I can deem it worthy you’ll get your money.”

“It seems we are at a bit of an impasse then,” Nathalie shrugged as if it didn’t bother her in the slightest, “Because I will not talk until you pay me, and you will not pay me until I talk. So,” she spread her arms open, “Where do we go from here?”

“Tell me about Ladybug,” he demanded.

“Not unless I get something in return,” her eyes flicked to his hand, where the wine rested a little less comfortably thanks to her irritating responses.

“You like wine?” he raised a brow at her.

“Is there a frenchman who doesn’t?” she asked in reply.

“Please,” Gabriel scoffed, “You wouldn’t be able to tell a single thing about it aside from its color.”

“So sure about that?” she arched a brow at him. And suddenly he felt slightly less confident, but no more willing to back out.

“Even if I explained wine to you I doubt you would be able to get it.”

“And I can assure you that, as with most things about me, you are wrong your grace. But, shall I prove it?”

“How do you intend to do that?”

She held up a finger, “One sip,” she promised, “And I shall be able to tell you the type, viniter, and year.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

“I’ll tell you about Ladybug, free of charge.”

“And should you win?”

“Let’s not worry about that now,” Nathalie replied, “Do we have a deal?”

“Fine,” Gabriel extended the wine glass out to her, “Have at it then.”

She took it, deliberately letting her hand touch his when they both knew they didn’t have to. She raised to her lips and took a small sip. She closed her eyes as she let the flavor settle over her tongue. Then she tilted her head back as she swallowed. On purpose, she had to be doing it on purpose. Gabriel gripped the arms of his chair as he watched her expression, one of rapture, as she tasted. When she lowered her head there was an almost molten look in her eye.

With a small breathy sigh she answered, “Goulaine Muscadet, 1765, a good year for this particular type.”

“How on earth could anyone be that specific?” Gabriel was fuming that she had gotten it right without hesitation.

“I’ve had a glass before,” Nathalie replied, “You never forget the taste of Goulaine.”

“Oh, very well,” Gabriel grumbled, “What do you want?”

Nathalie shrugged, “I’ll have to think about it,” she replied, “In the meantime, why don’t you ask me about Ladybug again. Good wine always has the bad habit of loosening my tongue.”

“I’ll be sure to do that, and give me back my wine,”

“Nope,” Nathalie took another languid sip, “This one’s mine now, get your own.”

Gabriel felt his eye twitch, but he watched her polish off the glass and couldn’t quite quash the heat he felt at seeing her use a glass he himself had used. Which was ridiculous, since that was what happened. But then, by the time a glass was handed to someone else it had been washed. She had taken it directly from him and drank, and it didn’t seem to phase her one bit.

“So,” Gabriel sat back in his chair, watching as she considered the empty wine glass, “Tell me about Ladybug.”

Nathalie shrugged once more, “What’s there to tell?” she asked in reply, “Ladybug isn’t there anymore.”

“She’s gone?” Gabriel couldn’t quite believe his luck would be  _ that _ good. The little nuisance couldn’t have just up and disappeared on her own.

“Left the brothel, three days prior,” Nathalie answered, setting the glass on a small side table, “Moved in with a man she met.”

“I see,” Gabriel stroked his chin thoughtfully, “And has a man named Chat Noir been hanging around the establishment?”

“Not since he found out Ladybug was gone,” Nathalie replied, “Not that it matters, he’s just some random isn’t he?”

“I’m not going to say it,”

“But you know I know, correct?”

“I’d have been more surprised if you hadn’t already figured it out.”

“I’m sure,” Nathalie strode closer to him, “You seem happy, which is an odd look for you.”

“I suppose I am, Ladybug is no longer a thorn in my side,”

“And you can get back to focusing on the prospects of this year’s marriage mart, am I right?”

“You are too perceptive,” Gabriel groused, “It will certainly get you in trouble some day.”

Nathalie laughed, low and husky, “I didn’t become Paris’ most desired woman by resting on my laurels you know,” she chided, “And speaking as, I have to say I’m glad you’re over this. I was starting to get worried that your preoccupation with Ladybug was starting to extend beyond fatherly concern for your son.”

“Are you sure that’s what it is, and it’s not just your ego?” Gabriel stared at her almost impassively.

“Oh, I’m positive it’s my ego,” Nathalie replied without shame, “Every time we’ve met it’s been about her. I’m used to being paid just a little bit more attention you know. But, I suppose I can thank you for reminding me why I’ll never be a single man’s mistress.”

“And why is that?”

“At the brothel I have safety, security, a place to return to. Do you know how fickle men are? How their eyes wander as beauty fades? I am what I am because I remain elusive, and it is that element alone which keeps them interested.”

“You sell yourself short if you think that your looks and refusal to be tied down are all that would attract a man,” Gabriel replied.

“Speaking candidly for a change?” Nathalie looked at him.

“No,” he deflected, “I am speaking as one who had to face the marriage mart once before. Many of the men see more in you than I’m sure they see in those porcelain dolls that are paraded before them.”

“You have a point, but it makes me wonder about you,” Nathalie brushed some hair behind her ear, “You’ve been a staunch widower for years. Why bother trying to comfort me?”

“You said it yourself, you’re Paris’ most desired woman. Just because I don’t desire you doesn’t-”

“You don’t desire me?” she seemed amused at that, “I admit, I’m impressed by your willpower your grace, but you needn’t be so tightly controlled around me.”

“What are you implying?” Gabriel narrowed his gaze at her.

Nathalie turned her palms skyward, almost as if to demonstrate a point that was already evident, “It’s okay to be human your grace,” she told him, striding around him until her back rested against the back of his chair, loose curls tickling the top of his own head, “To have human wants, human needs,” she glanced back at him and found him watching her, “Human desires.”

“And even if I  _ did _ have those,” he played along, allowing his arm to raise up and his thumb to brush against the silk, and the warm flesh that lay beneath it, “Do you really expect me to fall to my feet before you like every other man has?”

“Not at all,” Nathalie replied, “That’s what I like about you. You get frustrated, angry, because you catch on to what I do. And when I see that, it amuses me to no end. I begin to wonder what other kinds of expressions I could have you make, with the right incentives.”

“You’re doing it again,” he accused her without any true malice, “Playing these games of yours. I will not be seduced, no matter what kind of torture you think up.”

“If you already call it torture, then that means it’s working,” Nathalie smirked, “Believe me though, if I wanted to torture you, I’d be doing a  _ lot _ more than talking in circles.”

“Such as?”

She finished her circuit around him just then. But she stood much closer than before, “Sure you want to find out?”

“I have faith in my resolve.” Gabriel replied.

“I’d be more than happy to test it,” Nathalie murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone


	9. New Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a little longer than I wanted, but I needed to weave the introduction of a new character in with the plot point I wanted to hit this go. Hope it worked.

Despite the fact that he now had a guest he should have been thinking of, Chat couldn’t help returning to the brothel once more the night he took Marinette away from it. He was desperate to give Ladybug the earrings he’d had made for her. Imagine his surprise, then, when he arrived only to be given the news that she was gone. And not just that, that she had moved in with a man. For all her talk with him, she had admitted she loved another. Had he finally made his move and taken her away from him from right under his nose? Chat was desperate to know. But when asked where she had gone, no one would tell him the address. They claimed they didn’t have it. Chat assumed it was a lie but no amount of money would persuade any of them to talk.

He felt crushed. He couldn’t even give a parting gift to his lady, and she had left no indication that she would ever contact him again. As if responding to his mood the weather outside had turned dismal and gloomy. The rain opened up and poured down on him, soaking him immediately. It battered the sides of his carriage as he was driven home. Chat fingered the box in his pocket and pulled it out. In the dim light, shadows thrown over everything the earrings still sparkled with the immense beauty he’d ordered crafted into them. He wondered what he should do with them now.

He returned home sodden. And while the driver went to store the carriage and help the groom brush down the horses Chat himself went to the back garden and just stood there in the pouring rain. He lifted his face to the skies and let the tears fall. He was sopping, a mess both inside and out. There were no sounds -if there were they were drowned out by the sound of water hitting earth- only silent, shuddering sobs that wracked his frame. At some point, a door opened, casting light into the darkness that surrounded him, illuminating him, separating him from the sorrow that currently consumed him. Silent footsteps approached him, but he didn’t realize there was someone there until their hand was at his arm. Instantly his eyes opened to see Marinette there, covered by a cloak she must have borrowed from Tikki or already possessed, given how worn it was. Her expression was the very picture of compassion, and it made his heart clench in his chest. Chat felt immensely lighter with her here.

Marinette, for her part, said nothing, and merely offered him a cloak of his own to protect him from the elements. When he refused to take it she grabbed ahold of him and pulled him inside. The house was quiet, Tikki and Plagg must have already been asleep. Chat didn’t believe in a valet. But with the sodden clothes clinging to his skin and the now apparent chill thanks to the difference from the outside and the heat of the fire inside he wondered if he could get his trembling hands to do his bidding and prepare himself for bed.

Marinette, unsure of where everything was, having only made herself at home just an hour or so prior, stood looking as though she wanted to help but not knowing how. With a shaking hand he gestured to a chest where he kept his clothes and a few spare linens just in case. She pulled out a towel and applied it to his head, rubbing it so that it would soak up the moisture. With another she eyed him speculatively for the moment, unsure of if she wanted to do what needed to be done next. Chat, throughout this, remained numb and silent, mired in his own thoughts. To his immense relief, Marinette didn’t ask what bothered him, merely cared for him in the wake it had left.

With a pretty pink blush on her cheeks she set to undoing his buttons and his cravat. She paid no attention to the worth of any of the baubles she removed from his person, intent only on making sure he could dry himself off and warm up. The vest and shirt were removed with ease, if not more than a little embarrassment on her part. She wrapped another towel around him as he sat on his bed. Then she rummaged through his chest again and pulled out a nightshirt for him to wear. She slipped it over his head and then turned, intent on leaving the room so he could finish changing. But he grabbed her wrist and halted her, the unspoken plea hanging in the air between them,

_“Stay,”_

Marinette remained still and silent for a moment, before answering him with a terse nod, content to continue facing the wall. Chat let her go and divested himself of the rest of the wet clothing, a soft rustle of the fabric followed by a wet plop as it fell to the floor. He tapped her again to let her know that she could look. Chat, now dressed for bed, was sitting on the edge, looking lost and forlorn. Marinette had to imagine it was because he had found Ladybug gone without so much as a goodbye left by her. Marinette now wished she’d thought to leave a letter to Chat, instead of just up and disappearing like that. But the past could not be changed, all she could do now was soothe the present. She stepped closer to him, until she stood between his legs. Chat looked up at her, wondering at the reason for her close proximity. Her entire expression was one of soft sympathy, and the next thing he knew his head was pressed into her. Marinette’s arms held him tight as her hands twined into his hair, softly petting and stroking. She didn’t ask, never said a word, simply offered silent comfort to him, soothing balm to his wounded heart. Adrien, too vulnerable to be Chat in this moment, couldn’t remember the last time he’d been held like this. Surely not since before his mother’s untimely death. It made him feel better, and at the same time it made him sob once again. It was odd, to have someone that he could cry in front of, cry _on_ , even. His father had believed in strength of will, and will over emotions. It was why Adrien had never seen his father mourn, or show any other expression aside from cool indifference. And occasionally anger.

“Shh,” Marinette finally spoke, still running her fingers through his hair, “It’s alright, I’m here.”

Adrien clutched her tight, refusing to let go because if he did she might evaporate before his very eyes. He couldn’t let someone else he’d allowed close to him to disappear, he didn’t know if his heart could take it. When he was all cried out, and was finally able to embrace being Chat again he pulled back. Marinette looked down at him, concern still evident in her eyes as the light from the fire in the room flickered, throwing shades of yellow, orange, and red across her visage. Chat remembered the earrings still in his pocket. Keeping one hand at the curve of her waist he reach with the other and withdrew the box. He didn’t want to keep them, it would only remind him of how he hadn’t been able to convince Ladybug of his feelings. But they were too lovely to simply throw away, he’d had too much thought put into them. Perhaps it was a bit extravagant, and maybe shallow, to gift them to a girl he’d only met the night before, especially after he’d pressed upon her to come and live with him. And yet, it felt right as he presented the box before her.

Marinette’s eyes flickered downward curiously as she examined the offering. Wordlessly, Chat implored her to take it. She let go, but remained in the circle of his vicinity as she gently took the box and opened it. Her stunned gasp filled the silence that had been baited with anticipation. Her eyes flew to his, full of emotion, namely surprise as she glanced back and forth between the gift and its gifter. And if he looked a little closer perhaps he would have seen panic alight in there as well.

“Chat,” her voice was hushed, breathless almost. But not in the way that belied happiness, more in the manner that spoke of abject blindsiding, she had _not_ been expecting this, “I-”

“I’m sorry,” he felt the need to apologize, and explain the means behind the unexpected gift, “I wanted to give these to Ladybug, but when I arrived I’d been told she’d found a man to live with,” he laughed mirthlessly, “I always knew she was in love with someone, I just thought I might manage to show her how much _I_ loved her, convince her to maybe… maybe love me back.”

“She always thought well of you,” Marinette said softly, “You were a good friend to her.”

“And I treasure that more than she could ever know,” Chat was quick to answer, “But still, I couldn’t help wishing for… more.”

“I can understand that,”

“But she’s gone now,” Chat continued, “And so is my chance. But, it seems a waste to just get rid of these. And I thought, wouldn’t you like to have something nice of your own? It’s not pity, not for you, but I know you would appreciate them.”

“I do,” Marinette nodded, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, “But I just don’t think I can accept these, not if they weren’t made for me.” Though technically they were, and he just didn’t know it. Not that she could say as much out loud.

“Please,” Chat insisted, “Take them, I can’t… I can’t look at them sitting in that box, it would only bring back the feeling of knowing she’s gone forever, that I can’t get her back. I’d much rather you use them to make new memories, happy ones if you can.”

“Chat I-” Marinette was at a loss for words. She had never really realized how much Chat _did_ love Ladybug, and it only made her feel worse. But he was imploring her so earnestly, she didn’t have the heart to tell him no, “They’re beautiful,” she finally settled on, “Ladybug would have loved them.”

“Do you?” he asked.

Her whole expression softened, glowing, and the content glow of happiness reflected in the warmth from the fire. It lit a warmth in Chat’s own heart, and made him lose his breath as she answered, “I do.”

MLB

The next couple of days were spent in a new experience. True, Chat was used to gaining the greetings from his staff when he returned. But it was nice to have someone to come home too all the same. Marinette had taken to working on sewing projects from Tikki in the sunroom, basking in the warmth of daylight as she worked. When he arrived, she would always turn to him with a smile as she glanced up from her work and say,

“Welcome home Chat,” in just two days, such a simple phrase came to mean so much to him.

And it only grew the longer she stayed. No matter how often he would have to leave (usually to take care of business as Adrien) she would bid him goodbye and welcome him home. With his time no longer occupied by the brothel (a fact his father now seemed conscious of) Adrien had to spend time at Season events, watching the coming outs of the various debutantes, almost all with a nascent eye towards the position as his wife. It tired him, and somehow it felt the only time he could relax was when he put that mask on and returned home. Sometimes, it was quite late, and Marinette would already be asleep. In which instances he would merely open the door an infinitesimal amount and whisper into the quiet room, “I’m home.” the answer of her soft snoring as she slumbered was just as much a greeting in that instance as her words were.

One morning, Marinette woke to find that Chat was already on his way out, but he had requested that one of his friends, Nino, stay to keep her company and allow her to go out while Plagg and Tikki worked. Marinette enjoyed Nino, slightly more than she enjoyed Luka, but as Chat had explained upon proper introduction of both that of the two, Nino was the more eloquent. Luka had a hard time expressing himself through anything other than music, and as such when Marinette spent time with him much of it was spent in companionable silence. Not that she minded it, it was just nice to talk with someone sometimes. Especially since Nino went on and on about Rena and his woes over her disappearance, something Marinette could help console him over, having been somewhat close with her during her time there.

Unfortunately, the usual chatter they normally shared as they passed the hours was quickly run over with a frantic pounding on the front door. Plagg answered it, and then the door was slammed open as a voice rang out, accompanied by frantic footsteps heading towards them,

“Oh Adrikins!” the voice wailed, “It’s absolutely awful! I need to talk to you about-” the voice, and the woman dressed in buttercup yellow halted at the doorway as she took in the scene before her, “Who are you?” she sniffed disdainfully at Marinette, “And why are you in my fiance’s house?”

There were no words to truly describe how Marinette was feeling in that moment. She hadn’t been aware that Chat had had a fiance, if she had been she never would have agreed to come and stay with him. At the very least, not without a contract of employment. As of right now, she was just sort of there, mending the backlog of torn garments and linens Chat hadn’t wanted discarded. But with a fiancee, she clearly needed to pack up her things and seek arrangements elsewhere.

Of course, while those were the thoughts that were racing through her mind, all that she actually said was, “What?”

The blonde narrowed her eyes at Marinette, “My fiance,” she enunciated as though Marinette were dimwitted, “What are you doing in Adrikin’s house?”

“I, he,” Marinette stumbled, “I work here!” she blurted out.

“Oh,” she sniffed, “So you’re a new maid are you? And you, Lahiffe, flirting with the help again?”

“Marinette is actually a good friend to him and I,” Nino defended, “And what do you mean by fiance? He isn’t marrying you Chloe, he’s never wanted to, so unless he was hit in the head and then hypnotized there is no way he would ask.”

“Yes well,” Chloe looked embarrassed now, “I had asked daddy to make it happen months ago and Lord A-”

“So his father had a hand in this,” Nino quickly cut in, likely -Marinette assumed- because Nino thought if she heard the last name she would know Chat’s identity.

“Yes,” Chloe wrung her hands, “Though,” she huffed as though what she was doing was something out of character for her which made it very difficult for her to do, “I suppose I might have had _something_ to do with it.”

“Something,” Nino muttered under his breath, “Only something.”

“ _Any_ ways,” Chloe continued, “I need to speak to him about it.”

“Pity,” Nino goaded, “He must have known you were coming because he’s not here, and I doubt he’ll be coming back any time soon.”

Marinette, who had sat quietly up until this point, used the overlooking as Chloe and Nino bickered. She noticed something about the blonde’s body language which suggested she was upset about something. Her hand were constantly clasping and unclasping, wringing themselves together before returning to what Marinette assumed was her ingrained training at her side. Whatever this fiance business meant, Chloe clearly wasn’t happy about it, and while Marinette wasn’t entirely sure the attitude she was displaying wasn’t normal for Chloe, but there was a sort of inner maturity trying to fight its way out of years and layers of childish selfishness.

“You’re upset about the engagement,” Marinette observed, “Why?”

This statement caused both to pause in their argument. Chloe sneered at Marinette before sighing heavily and flopping onto a brocade armchair. From her reticule she pulled out a silk fan decorated with a painting of a bee adorning it.

“This is all just too much for me,” she began to wave the fan in front of her face, “Tikki!!” She bellowed.

Instantly the housekeeper was at her side, “Lovely to see you again Lady Bourgeois,” she greeted, “Can I get you something?”

“I want tea, now.” Chloe demanded.

“Of course,” Tikki nodded, “Has Pollen been doing well?”

“How should I know?” Chloe asked, “Get me my tea.”

“Forgive my your grace,” Tikki bowed her head and bustled out of the room.

Marinette turned to Nino, “Pollen?” She whispered.

“One of the maids at the Bourgeois household is Tikki’s cousin, Polly. Pollen is apparently a nickname from when they were children.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Marinette nodded, “Now, Lady Chloe,” she turned her attention to the young noblewoman, “What about this engagement has you so upset?”

“Why should I tell you?” Chloe raised her head from where she had thrown it against the chair back to glare at the peasant.

“It'll make you feel better,” Marinette reasoned, “And if you can't tell…” she paused, Chat hadn't wanted her to know his name, and she doubted Chloe would really accept Marinette’s use of what seemed to be the blonde’s personal pet name for him. However, her silence was suddenly causing the other girl to be incredibly suspicious.

“Felix,” Nino quickly supplied. Both girls’ eyes went to him, and as such they didn't notice the suspicious look of the other.

Well, alright then. Marinette nodded, “Yes, if you can't tell Felix, your closest friend, then perhaps we can speak on your behalf. I'm sure the last thing a lovely lady like yourself wants to to is spend time waiting on a man who may not come back until late.”

“That’s,” Chloe paused, the logic and flattery of Marinette’s words sinking in, “Absolutely right,” she sighed, “I've already wasted so much time waiting for him. And truth be told he’s not as rich as I want him to be, but I asked Daddy for this so he’ll be upset if I walk out on this now.”

“Pardon?” Nino looked like he couldn't believe his ears, “Mind repeating that for me?”

“I don't want to marry Adrikins anymore,” Chloe huffed, “Happy?”

Nino paused a moment, eyeing her with intense doubt. After he spent more than a few moments scanning her he sat back and let out a low whistle, “Well I'll be damned,” he remarked, “She’s telling the truth, and she's serious.”

“Gee,” Chloe snarked, “Thank you for that, I don’t know _how_ anyone would have believed me without you here to confirm.”

“So, you don’t want to marry Felix,” Marinette soothed, “Why? Did you find someone else?”

Instantly Chloe flushed and looked about the room, “I just don’t want to marry him anymore, isn’t that good enough for you you little fortune hunter?”

“I’m not a fortune hunter,” Marinette snapped, “Ch- Felix invited me to stay here, I do _work_ for my room. I don’t just laze about with nothing better to do. And I have _no_ intention on marrying him, I’m in love with someone else!” though she meant every word of it, the last part seemed a little more forced than it once would have. Chat was sweet, and charming, despite being an absolute fool sometimes. He made her laugh, and Marinette looked forward to his returning home. Sometimes he came late, and she fell asleep. But she always awoke with the sensation that he’d been there, that he’d come to say goodnight to her. Once when she’d fallen asleep at her work he’d carried her back to bed.

Chloe looked as though she saw right through it, Marinette felt her cheeks burning and stubbornly snapped her jaw shut. At that moment Tikki returned with an already prepared cup of tea for the lady to sip on.

The blonde hummed, “If you say so,” she took another sip, “Well…”

“You’re in love with someone, aren’t you?” Marinette asked, “I may not know much about this world, but I know enough to know that Ch- Felix is well off. And that he has his own duties to carry out. That world is made of arranged marriages, marriages for political and monetary gain. He’s a prize, and especially if you’ve been friends for so long you would want to help protect him. You wouldn’t have a problem with this sort of marriage, because it’s something you’ve been raised to be unaffected by. So if you weren’t in love, you wouldn’t want to cancel the engagement.” She reasoned.

Chloe narrowed her gaze at her, “You’re too perceptive for your own good,” she sneered.

“That doesn’t make me any less right,” Marinette parried.

“No,” Chloe admitted reluctantly, “It doesn’t.”

“You don’t have to tell us who it is,” Marinette assured her, “Your love is your own, but so long as that’s the reason, I don’t think he’ll mind. He believes in true love above all else.”

Chloe stared at her a long moment, “You know him so well,” she said with a sigh, “And as for me, well… he makes me beautiful, more beautiful than I already am. And I _want_ to be beautiful for him, and only him,” there was a smile that played at her lips, one full of love which softened her countenance immensely, “But I can’t do that if I’m forced to marry Adrikins, and Daddy would never allow me to marry…” she shook her head, “But I want to… and yet,”

“Something’s holding you back,” Marinette observed, “More than this engagement.”

“I can’t leave Daddy,” Chloe looked down into her lap, “But if I don’t I can’t be with the person I love.”

“Love is hard,” Marinette agreed, “And it hurts, more than anything. But the ones who truly love you will always be able to come to terms with the decisions you make. And if it means eloping in the moment, then that’s what you need to do.”

“I’m not leaving just yet,” Chloe hardened her gaze at him, “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily commoner. I’ll speak to Adrikins about this myself, send word to the Grand Paris when he returns.”

Nino opened his mouth to protest but Marinette beat him to it, “Of course your grace,” she bowed her head in deference.

There was a flicker of sympathetic pain in Chloe’s eyes, “You will never marry him you know?” she asked, “Even if we manage to get this engagement annulled. You don’t belong in his world, and I’m not even saying it to be mean. Adrikins cares too much about family, too much to ever go against his father’s wishes, and his father would never accept you as his son’s bride.”

“I would never dream of marrying above my station,” Marinette replied, “Just being here is already enough of a dream come true. I wouldn’t dare hope for more.”

“See that you don’t,” Chloe nodded, “You’d only be setting yourself up for heartbreak.”

“Allow me to escort you out Lady Chloe,” Nino offered, taking her elbow and muttering to her, “I’m sure you have questions…”

Marinette sat by herself in the sitting room, trying to ignore the hushed (on Nino’s part at least) voices whispering. She didn’t want to know, what they talked about was their own business. To distract herself she turned to the newspaper which had been left on the table. It was the usual high society pages, nothing but boring gossip. And then she came across a page which made her gasp. So loudly, that Nino and Chloe came running back into the room, the latter more because Nino had yet to let go rather than any desire on her part.

“What is it?” he asked, checking her over to see if she’d injured herself.

“It’s… It’s…” Marinette stumbled to form words, hands shaking and causing the paper to rustle with their trembling.

“It’s what?” Nino pressed.

“It’s Alya,” she managed to get out. The newspaper dropped to the table, still open to the page which had caused such distress. In large, bold print lay the title, “The Bare Truth: Life Inside Paris’ Most Decadent Brothel” and in smaller font, off to the side, was a single line, “written by Alya Cesaire”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone


	10. Enter the Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we focus on something completely different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who is here for only love square or lukagami, or djwifi, this chapter is one you might want to skip. Because it is literally like 3,000 words of Gabenath and I'm not apologizing for it. Otherwise, hope you enjoy.

Gabriel was going insane. Nathalie had left the decided winner of their little challenge, and a burning sensation seared onto his lips. She’d mentioned that she wouldn’t go any further, something Gabriel had never thought he would want. He’d found his heart, his love, with Emilie. And when she’d died he thought nothing would ever stir that emotion again. Not locked behind the cold iron door of grief he used to keep potential fortune hunters at bay. But Nathalie, she did. And truth be told, it  _ scared _ him. He was a man used to control, a tight grip on his emotions. And he  _ hated _ that Nathalie seemed to live up to her title as the most desired woman in all of Paris. The number one courtesan in the entire city. He hated that she could reduce him to the young man he’d been with Emilie, eager and excited for their next meeting.

He had no more business with her. Not now that Ladybug had been dealt with and Adrien was back on track. But he couldn’t help but want her. Nathalie had said she didn’t want anything between them to be because of work. She wanted him without the expectation of payment. She wanted  _ him _ . And if that didn’t send a bolt straight to his ego, Gabriel was unsure if anything else would. The most desired woman in the city wanted him, for reasons other than monetary gain. She had said it herself, she did not want to be tired of, which was why she would never consent to being just one person’s mistress, or even wife. She was too cultured to be a part of the world she’d once belonged too, but knew too much about how this world worked to want to truly be a part of it. She was an enigma, someone who floated between two worlds, not really a part of either. And it was intoxicating. Gabriel mused on the memory of his late, beloved wife. Theirs had been a love borne out of happenstance, not quite out of choice. Their marriage had been arranged, and while they were lucky enough to have found romance in its grasp, it was a sensation wholly different to the one he experienced with the courtesan.

Still, he found himself on edge with want for the vivacious woman who belonged to everyone and yet to no one. She wanted him, but hadn’t contacted him in a week. He knew she had logistics of their liaison to work out, but it didn't stop him from being upset at the delay. Good gods, was he really letting his heart, his mind rather, be upset by a mere woman?

Then again, he admitted, there was nothing  _ mere _ about Nathalie. Which was perhaps why her absence was something he felt so acutely. He wanted to see her, but she wasn’t his possession, or his mistress, or anything that could really validate his desire to simply send a carriage out for her. She had made it abundantly clear she didn’t appreciate that, and that unless otherwise arranged he would not do it again. Gabriel found it almost a little demeaning that he would kowtow to her desires like that, but then everyone else did. It didn’t make him any less of a lord.

He needed to stop thinking about her. Gabriel pondered how he could spend the hours if he wasn’t distracted by her. He tried to focus on business, but he kept looking back to the ticking clock. He tried to go for a walk, but all he ended up doing was finding places about his estate he’d like to spend otherwise occupied in. Heaving a heavy sigh and wondering when he had reverted back to an impetuous youth, Gabriel decided to into town and perhaps do a bit of shopping. He’d already read all the books in his library, he decided it was time for some new ones to join his shelves.

The main streets with their vendors and shops had always annoyed him. Gabriel really didn’t like leaving his estate. It was peaceful there, here in town there was nothing but chaos. Well, not  _ chaos _ chaos, but disorder and loud, irritating noises. The criers with their papers in hand, the street urchins which ran around trying to stealthily pick pockets, the myriad of clashing and contrasting smells which left him in sore desire of a bath and a stiff drink, and not necessarily in that order. But as he was passing by one of the shops something caught his eye. A silver mask with spots of inlaid amethyst by the eyes and delicate wiring which made up antennae stemming from the dip at the bridge. True, it looked as though it had been made with a female in mind, but Gabriel couldn’t let it leave with someone else. And somehow, he had ended up impulse buying the mask.

He returned home and sat at the end of his bed, staring at the mask. Why had he bought it? What purpose could it possibly have? And unbidden the thought came, he could disguise himself, much like Adrien had. Gabriel didn’t know what that said, did he get it from Adrien, or did Adrien get it from him? Nevertheless, Gabriel’s mind started whirling. Almost as though in a trance he wandered to his closet, mask in hand. He rifled through the fine coats and trousers, comparing them, seeing if he could find which would match and contrast it best. Eventually, he had a deep purple frock coat and trousers, with a lavender waistcoat, and polished black shoes and a pure white cravat, nestles within it a butterfly shaped pin. Gabriel was honestly surprised he owned all of this, but as he examined himself in the mirror, pulling on the black gloves and haltingly, hesitantly reaching for the mask, he had to admit that he looked nothing like his usual self. And when the mask was settled over his eyes he truly felt like someone different. Gabriel wondered if he would be able to go out like this.

MLB

Well, only one way to find out, and that was to test it. So, that night he took a hired carriage to the brothel and was welcomed without a brow raised. And though he wanted to immediately request Nathalie he decided it would perhaps be best if he hung back in the shadows. However, it appeared he wasn’t as unnoticed as he had hoped he might be.

“Lovely night for a tup, ain’t it mate?” another gentleman asked conversationally as he sidled up to the bar beside Gabriel.

“Pardon?” Gabriel nearly choked on his drink. True, most members of so-called, “polite society” were crass as could be. But never had he had to experience it as an opening line.

“A tup, mate,” the man repeated, “Certainly no shortage of beauties around here for that, makes me wonder though. With that getup, might you be the newest addition to Madame’s menagerie?”

Gabriel blinked, then cleared his throat. He tried to add a harsher, perhaps more sinister edge to his voice, “Certainly not,”

“I figured as much,” the other man shrugged, “Pity though. You pull off that mysterious allure as well as any whore here.”

“I am not a whore,” Gabriel ground out through his teeth.

“Easy mate, easy,” the man held up his hands in a placating gesture, “It’s quite alright with me either way. But, if you won’t grant me a night, can you grant me a name?”

“Afraid not,” Gabriel replied, “I have my own reasons for masks, and anything else necessary to keep my identity secret.”

“Don’t want the crowd to know you’re here,” the man nodded, “I can understand that. Well then mate, what might I call ya this fine evening?”

“You can call me…” Gabriel scrambled for a name, “Hawkmoth.”

“Nice then, you can call Jagged, Jagged Stone.”

That made Gabriel pause. He couldn’t always recall every noble in Parisian Society, let alone European. But, he’d heard tale that an English nobleman had recently taken up residence here in Paris. Apparently the rumor had been that he’d been caught in bed with a man. And his name? Lord Jonathan Stonewell. And this man, Jagged, seemed to fit the physical description perfectly.

“You look surprised, do you perhaps recognize me from somewhere?”

“Not you specifically, but the accent, I do,” Hawkmoth parried, “You’re English.”

“Guilty as charged,” Jagged shrugged, “Not that I would ever go back there, not even for all the money and power in the world.”

“Sounds like a very tempting offer, why?” Gabriel was confused as to why he was curious about this, but Jagged had a bit of a magnetic personality, you were drawn in without ever really thinking about why.

“What use is money and power when you’re still subjected to the oppressive thumb of society?” Jagged knocked back his drink, “I think of Byron, Wilde, Dickinson, men like that who only wanted to be who they were. And chased out because of the damn puritanical views held by high society. Well, Wilde at least...”

“You…” Gabriel’s mind was racing, “You really  _ do _ like men?”

“And women,” Jagged replied breezily, as though unbothered by the probing and invasive question, “Wouldn’t be in a brothel otherwise. Beauty is beauty, no matter what’s between the legs mate.”

“That is…” Hawkmoth cleared his throat, “Quite a charitable assessment Jagged.”

“If you’re ever curious as to what it’s like,” he winked, “Feel free to find me.”

“You make it a habit of frequenting these establishments?”

“And you don’t?”

“Can’t say I do.”

“Explains the mask then.”

To avoid a diversion into territory he wasn’t sure he wanted to explore, Hawkmoth cast his gaze around the room and caught sight of Nathalie. Well, she was Paon right now. She wandered around the room, playing hostess as opposed to whore for the moment. But something in her expression told him he was on the hunt.

Jagged let out a low whistle, “So that’s her huh?”

“Her who?” he spared the man a quick glance before returning to watching Nathalie.

“Paon, the most sought after courtesan in Paris. She must be amazing,” Jagged’s gaze was riveted to her, “Have you had her yet?”

“I,” Gabriel sputtered, he wanted to punch Jagged, but knew that would be gauche. Nathalie had never kept her profession a secret, had confronted him with it head on during their first meeting. But knowing what she did and seeing the implications of it firsthand were two entirely different things.

Unfortunately, Jagged was as perceptive as he was easy going, “Ah,” he said, “Didn’t realize you cared like that mate, sorry about that.”

“Sorry about what?” Hawkmoth whirled on him, “And what do you mean by care?”

“You fancy her,” Jagged had that placating body expression back in place, “It’s not a thing to be shameful of mate, it happens. Either way, can’t be fun hearing another bloke talk about the things he’d like to do to her, right?”

“I, right,” Hawkmoth turned back to his drink, swirling it around in his glass before downing the rest of it.

“Well…” Jagged drawled, “Looks like you don’t need to worry. Seems she’s only got eyes for you right now.”

“What are you talking about?” Hawkmoth turned back around and saw Nathalie, Paon, striding toward them with fire in her eyes, gaze entirely locked on him.

Jagged nudged him, “You’ve got the most popular woman in Paris under your thrall, how? Is it the mask? Maybe I should get one…”

“No,” Hawkmoth quickly replied, “I’ve, she’s, we’re not…”

“Bonsoir gentlemen,” Paon broke in smoothly, skirting her fingertips along Hawkmoth’s arm, “I’m glad to see you.”

“Glad to be here love,” Jagged replied easily, “Nothing better than being in the company of beauties like this.”

“Madame does prize the quality of her girls,” Paon parried neutrally, “Speaking of, have you found any you like?”

“One,” he winked at her, Paon smirked. Hawkmoth clenched his glass so tightly it was a miracle it hadn’t shattered.

“Oh you,” she laughed, “Unfortunately I’m promised to this animal for the evening, and I’d  _ hate _ to keep him waiting any longer.”

“The whole evening?” Jagged raised a brow, “So, clearly, he belongs to you. The question is, do you belong to him?”

“I’m the freest bird in Paris,” Paon fluffed her hair, “But, I admit, there are times when even  _ I _ don’t mind being caught.”

“Need a third?” Jagged offered.

She raised a brow, but did not comment, “Unless you’re willing to chip in we’ll have to decline.”

“I have enough coin if that’s what you mean,”

Gabriel could feel himself losing control, his eye began to twitch.

Paon laughed, “Yes well, hate to disappoint but that’s not what we usually do together. And a last minute addition… well it’s just a little-”

“Awkward?” Jagged finished, at her nod he continued, “Nah, don’t even worry about it love. I understand, but if you ever want to, let me know.”

“Of course,” Paon slid her arm over his shoulder, “It was nice meeting you…”

“Jagged love,” he grinned, “Jagged Stone.”

“Jagged,” Paon nodded, lacing her arm through Hawkmoth’s, “I hope to see you again.”

“Sure enough love, and mate,” he inclined his head, and his new drink, in the other’s direction, “Have fun, don’t do anything I wouldn’t, which still leaves a good deal of options to be had.”

MLB

The moment she got him into her room Nathalie practically threw him on the bed, “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Pardon?” he recalled that he was wearing the mask, and he had to at least keep up the pretence of being someone else, “What on earth are you talking about?”

“You can drop the act Gabriel,” she folded her arms over her chest, “You’re not a very good actor.”

Heaving a sigh, Gabriel untied the mask and set it to the side, “How could you tell?”

She chuckled, “Like Father, like son,” she shook her head, “I thought you said you wouldn’t set in this place again.”

“ _ I _ wouldn’t, but then, no one else knows Hawkmoth is me, now do they?”

“Maybe your little friend does,” Nathalie parried, “Jagged he said his name was.”

“I met him here, for the first time tonight,” Gabriel defended, “Though, his reputation certainly precedes him in my circles.”

“He do things like that rather frequently?”

“So the stories say, not that I put much stock in what the gossips say.”

“Not unless it has the potential to ruin your family name you mean.”

“No one likes having their name dragged through the mud from here to London Nathalie.”

“Point,” she sighed, “So why are you here? I told you I would send word when I could be free.”

“I got impatient,”

She scoffed, “ _ That’s _ a surprise.”

“Trying to clear my head only brought me this mask, and then I started to wonder what it might be like to be someone else for an evening. Someone with more freedom than Gabriel Agreste does.”

“I can’t fault you that,” Nathalie shook her head, “That’s why Madame insists on the false identities. It gives us a modicum of freedom when we go out and about.”

“Does it ever get lonely?” he asked her.

“What?”

“Hearing a name that isn’t your own called day after day? Man after man?”

“Like it or not, Paon is as much a part of me now, it  _ is _ my name. One of them, anyways. It hasn’t bothered me in years.”

“But your name is fine on its own.”

“I always thought that if I could meet a man who would make me want to leave this life that would be a pleasure solely reserved for him. The pleasure of calling my name, my first name in the throes of rapture,” she shrugged, “But life rarely works out in the ways we hope it to.”

“And what of your plan to spend with me? Am I supposed to take it as you picture  _ me _ as the man you wish to take you away from this?”

“Not at all,” Nathalie shook her head, “I know what I want from you. And it has nothing to do with childish notions of love or romance. Love is a beautiful, ugly thing. And this life has taught me I want nothing to do with it. I am content waiting out a few more years. I’ll have enough money to live comfortably in the countryside for the rest of my days. I can only hope that Mari-” she paused, which made him think she’d been about to say the rest of the girl’s name before stopping herself, “That Mari comes to visit me.”

“Is she Ladybug?”

“Yes, I practically raised her after her parents died. I don’t need children, I have her.”

“You never wanted any of your own?”

“I never found a man I’d want to have them with. It doesn’t matter now,” she looked at him, “Please tell me you have money to pay for all this. I can’t let you go without paying, or else Madame will never let me take a few days off. Lost profit can only be replaced with more work.”

“I can,” he put a pouch of coin in her hand, “I wasn’t sure if I would run into you, but I did plan on drinking either way.”

“Well,” Nathalie set it to the side, “Shall I order some wine?”

“I can think of plenty of other things I would rather do than drink right now.”

“I thought we agreed that we didn’t want this as a business transaction, have you changed your mind?”

“Not at all,” Gabriel assured her, “But, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun in other ways.”

“By all means then,” Nathalie spread her arms, “I’d love to see what you can do.”

He went in for a kiss but then she halted him, “Wait,” she quickly secured the mask over his face, “Gabriel Agreste can’t have any rumors involving this place. Hawkmoth on the other hand,” she smirked, “Well my little butterfly, we are  _ certainly _ going to enjoy ourselves, aren’t we?”

He grinned wolfishly at her, “Of course Paon,” he purred, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone


	11. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath, for some

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, but I started an intensive internship a little while ago that has just been leaving me creatively drained by the end of the day. Along with a rather... odd schedule. Anyways, I hope you like this installment, next time we'll be gearing up for some djwifi and (hopefully) reveal(s). Anywho, enough rambling, enjoy!

Nino was floored, Marinette was floored. And she had had to be the one the break the news to him. Alya Cesaire had been Rena Rouge. Alya had infiltrated the brothel to write a tell-all expose. Alya had been the one who played with his feelings, up and leaving and not trusting him enough to tell him the truth. At least, that was what Nino took from the explanation Marinette gave him. Rena had lied to everyone, deceived everyone, and for what? Her own career? The paper was famous for not publishing the nonfiction work by female authors. It seemed the only explanation she would have for doing any of this was that the scandal would net her fame, and her position as a woman was the only reason she could do it. Men couldn’t write about life in the brothels, it was a woman’s world in there. But Alya could.

Marinette, while upset, wasn’t heartbroken like the musician was. When she asked how he was doing though, Nino had made up some excuse and hurried out the door. Marinette felt her heart break for the kind hearted musician. Tears welled in her eyes as she followed after him. Everything about today, Chloe stopping by, the news about the engagement and wanting to call it off, followed the discovery of Alya’s expose, the revelation of her identity as Rena Rouge, it had drained Nino entirely. Marinette had spent the rest of the evening consoling the broken hearted musician, watching helplessly as he consumed shot after shot of hard liquor. And when Marinette took the bottle away from him? He would find yet another of Chat’s hidden stashes and start drinking from that. Considering how wealthy Chat was she doubted he would be okay with her tossing the likely expensive bottles of booze into the fire so all she could do was lock them in her room.

Nino trying to grab the key from her just as Marinette dropped it down the front of her dress was the scene Chat returned to. It was a moment quite literally frozen in time, as the sound of Chat coming up the stairs halted their movements, and he stood shell shocked by what he was seeing.

“Um,” Marinette squeaked, “We can explain,”

But before she had the chance to, or for Chat to ask, the copious amounts of alcohol finally seemed to hit Nino. He slumped forward into Marinette (who was immensely grateful she was backed against the door) and passed out. That seemed to spur Chat into action. He went and slung Nino’s unconscious form against him, balancing the weight with the help of Nino’s arm.

“Help me,” he grunted to Marinette, who nodded mutely. They brought him to a guest room and Chat deposited him on the bed. Quietly, they left and went to sit in the parlor. Marinette, with trembling hands, picked up her stitching but set it aside after a moment. They sat in awkward silence.

Finally, Chat asked her, “What happened?”

Wordlessly Marinette handed him the paper. He perused it, and still it didn't seem to click until Marinette added, “Alya was the name of Rena Rouge. Nino’s absolutely heartbroken she lied to him.”

“Did she?”

Marinette shrugged, “No more than the usual. The stage names, they're to protect us, the girls when we just want to be normal. You of all people should know that feeling.”

Chat said nothing, “Anything else?”

“Alya loved to talk, but she had the most incredible skill with directing the conversation anywhere she didn't want it to go. Now I see where her eloquence comes from.”

“I'm sorry,” Chat replied, “Were you close friends with her?”

“Apparently not close enough,” Marinette replied sardonically, “But it's fine.”

“Is it though?” Chat asked, “This expose, it isn't exactly flattering.”

“It doesn't matter,” Marinette told him, “High society doesn't care about the real lives and hardships of the girls who work in those brothels. You know what would happen if Madame’s was shut down? All the girls would go to a black market brothel which would treat them worse. I suppose some of the lucky ones, like Na- Paon could find a man who would take her as his mistress. I'm not sure that would be any safer though.”

“Well,” Chat sighed, “At least I saved one person.”

“For how long though?” Marinette asked him, “How long can I really stay here? Tongues will wag, people will… say things about you. I don’t want to cause you any trouble Felix.”

“Felix?” Chat raised a brow under his mask. True, his middle name  _ was _ Felix, after an ancestor of his, but he hardly went by it. “How do you know that name?”

“Nino told me,” Marinette answered.

“I see, Chat was silent a moment, “And why, may I ask, would he tell you that?”

“Because your fiancee showed up,” Marinette replied flatly, “Though… what she called you certainly wasn’t Chat, or Felix might I add. I didn’t want to betray your trust by asking when you clearly don’t want me to know. You’ve done so much for me, I couldn’t.”

“My fiance?” Chat blinked slowly, “Please tell me you’re not talking about Chloe.”

“Afraid so,” Marinette affirmed.

“Well,” Chat cleared his throat, “While Lady Chloe has always wanted to marry me, she has never before succeeded in convincing my father it would be a wise decision. She’s just an old friend, the first I had, before I met Nino and Luka. I treasure her deeply, but she can be…”

“A handful?”

“To put it mildly,” Chat nodded, “And even if I  _ were _ to get married, which I have no intention of doing at this moment, you are my guest, I would like to say that you are my friend, and you are welcome to stay as long as you wish to.”

“Thank you Chat, that’s very kind,” Marinette replied. Then she sighed, “You know, it all seems so easy when it's like this.”

“What does?”

“This, us,” Marinette clarified, “Chat, you're one of my dearest, fondest friends. And when I'm with you, I can forget all the reasons I shouldn't be here. You're an unmarried man, I'm a lowborn woman. No matter what really goes on if anyone sees the two of us come from the same house, they'll talk. I'll be said to be your mistress, and I don't want that.”

“I don't want that for you either Marinette,” Chat assured her, “But what else can I do? If I were to put you up somewhere else the same rumors would circle. At least here I can protect you.”

“For how long though?” Marinette asked him, “How long can we really keep this up Chat? This isn't a sustainable way of living, you know that. I know that.”

“But,”

“But without a guardian, or a husband I can't do anything but go back to the brothels.”

“I could be your guardian if you like,” Chat said quietly, “Have a peer friend of mine help with your debut into Society. You could find a good husband, have a better life.”

“And how would I explain the need to return to Madame’s?” Marinette parried, “I couldn't just abandon everyone there. They were my family, for the longest time they were all I had.”

“You might not have a choice,” Chat replied as he perused the offending article for himself, “Miss Cesaire certainly hasn't slumped in any of the titillating details.”

“You think one bad article is going to slow down Madame?” Marinette raised a brow, “The scandal would likely only make the place more popular.”

“I disagree,” Chat shook his head, “You don’t know High Society like I do. The gossips will have all eyes on that brothel until something more scandalous occurs. And given how thorough our intrepid little reporter was, I doubt it will happen any time soon.”

“Well,” Marinette conceded, “You might have a point there. It would be so hard to watch the place close down you know. All of my memories are there. Childhood games and laughter. Even the memory of my first love.”

“First love?” that had his attention. Marinette was a sweet girl, but all the time he’d been there he hadn’t noticed any man who might catch her attention.

“Well, I mean there was the traditional childhood crushes. Boys in the neighborhood like Kim or Ivan, but there was one night....” Marinette shook her head, “I don’t know why I’m telling you, you’d only laugh at me.”

“You know how much I loved Ladybug,” Chat offered in return, “I definitely won’t think it amusing.”

“Loved?” Marinette was now distracted, “As in, past tense?”

“In a sense,” Chat replied, “She’s so far out of my reach now, gone off to be with some other man. Not that I blame her, it’s likely her prince, she told me about him once or twice you know. Made him sound like an angel sent to her. But he made her happy,” Chat sighed, “I wish it could have been me, and I’m definitely not in love with anyone right now, but to say I love her still… well it’s been over a month, hasn’t it? A month without seeing her, without speaking to her, without protecting her.” if only he knew, Marinette thought, “But,” Chat stared right at her, “I wouldn’t change any of it, I’d rather have lost her a thousand times over than let you suffer the way she was made to.”

“Did she tell you as much?” Marinette asked.

“Not in so many words,” Chat admitted, “But I could see it in her eyes, the way she presented herself. She didn’t want that life. And how could she? To embrace another while in love with someone else?” he shook his head, “It would have been the worst sort of heartbreak I imagine.”

“Did you embrace her?” Marinette asked, wondering if his response would be a polite denial, or a degrading lie.

“Not once,” Chat confided, “I know, I know. You probably don’t believe a word of it. But I couldn’t, I couldn’t for the same reason she didn’t want to. I could never with someone I didn’t care about.” and with that, he seemed to be done sharing, “But that’s enough about me and my sorry excuse for a love life. We were talking about you, and this mysterious first love of yours.”

“Could you really call it love when I only met him once?” Marinette asked with a sigh of defeat.

“I wouldn’t normally, no,” Chat replied, “But go on.”

“I probably shouldn’t tell you his name, just in case you know him.”

“I know everyone, everyone in Polite Society, and since you’re wary of telling me that already narrows it down. Or are you afraid that  _ I _ might be him?”

“You?” Marinette scoffed, “Please, though you are just as kind as him, he is nowhere near as flamboyant and ridiculous. He carries himself with dignity.”

“And what is his name?”

“Lord Adrien Agreste,”

MLB

“I’m surprised you came,” Kagami said to Luka as he showed up.

He had, like clockwork as per their agreement, shown up to the brothel in order to train with her. For the past month. And she had beaten him soundly every single time. But she wasn’t complaining. It was much different sparring against a person as opposed to one’s own shadow.

“And why wouldn’t I come?” Luka asked as he stretched.

:Well, the article-”

“What article?” Luka asked, “I don’t pay attention to the gossips in the papers so I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“The article detailing what life is like for a worker in my mother’s brothel,” Kagami wanted to shout. He was so out of touch. But then, Kagami couldn’t say it wasn’t refreshing, “Written by someone we thought was one of our own.

“I imagine you would feel like family after a while,” Luka replied, “Lying in the same bed and all that, er, metaphorically speaking of course.”

“I take no offense at that,” Kagami, feeling a bit anxious, swished her sword about a few times.

“I’m just surprised,” Luka remarked, “That a mother would make her own daughter lie on her back for money.”

“Make me…” Kagami’s brow furrowed, “What are you talking about?”

“You’re the Red Lady are you not?” Luka asked.

“That is what they call me, yes,” Kagami nodded.

“Then you’re the same Red Lady who I thought was seducing my friend for his money.”

“That’s utterly ridiculous!” Kagami sputtered, cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the very idea, “Mother would never have me work in the brothel. She wanted,  _ wants _ , better for me than that.” Though, with no way of knowing how this article would affect business, and the loss of two highly requested and lucrative girls, Kagami wasn’t so sure of that anymore. She’d heard her mother raging over lost profits more than once over the past month. This article wouldn’t help things by any means.

“Then who was the Red Lady?”

Kagami shrugged, “I couldn’t tell you,” she replied, “The girls all get stage names, to protect them when they want to go out and forget what they do. We had several ‘Red Ladies’ as you call them. Rena Rouge and Ladybug were the most popular though.”

“Were?”

“Ladybug up and left to move in with a man who rescued her, and Rena…” she thought for a moment to protect the girl’s identity, but anger bubbled within her at the thought of how she had betrayed all of them, “Rena is the one who wrote this damned article.”

“Such vulgar language from a Lady in waiting,” Luka chided, “But I suppose a tell all article decrying the only way most of these girls can live would enrage anyone. Wouldn’t it?”

“You’re right,” Kagami was fuming at the thought, but tried to tamper it down. She closed her eyes and breathed; in, out, in, out. None of it was helping. With a sigh of defeat she opened her eyes back up to find Luka staring at her strangely.

“What is it?” she asked coldly. Luka set down his sword and reached for his instrument, which he always kept on hand.

“It’s your heart,” he replied quietly, “It sounds like… like this,” he played a few chords that were strong, righteous, and wrathful.

And yet, they sounded absolutely beautiful. He sat cross legged in the courtyard, playing the chords again, adding in others, weaving together a melody from her emotions. With every not that sounded in the air, Kagami felt her ire dissipate a little. She came and sat beside him, sword discarded and forgotten as she, enthralled and enchanted and  _ enraptured _ , listened to him weave magic with naught but his fingers and strings. And his heart,  _ her  _ heart, actually. Kagami felt her heart flutter.

“I’m sorry,” Luka apologized once he finished his song and put the instrument to the side, “I’m not very good with words. It’s why I’m a musician.”

“I feel better having listened to you play than hearing words that could be lies. Music, music can’t lie can it?”

“The only lie music can tell is making you feel a certain way. But you can only feel the same way as the music, as the people who wrote it, as the instruments who play it. So I guess, music never really lies,” Luka looked over at her, surprised at how dainty she looked sitting on the ground with her legs curled against her. Her face even looked softer, or maybe it was her eyes, melted by the warmth that music brought the heart. She’d never looked more beautiful. And he never wanted something to be true so badly.

“And you’ve never met Adrien Agreste?”

“I know he was sent here, one night,” Kagami admitted, “But I’ve never talked to him.”

“And you could swear on that?”

“To be quite honest,” Kagami brushed a stray lock away, tucking it behind her ear, “You’re the only man outside of the brothel workers I’ve ever spent any time with.”

“Are you in earnest?”

“Mother always told me I should wait until I could make my debut, which was supposed to be this Season. But with the article… I don’t see how she’d find a willing nobleman to sponsor me.”

“You know... “ Luka began thoughtfully, “I might know someone who can help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Let me know and leave a comment below. Until next time everyone!


	12. The Ball Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is coming out for more than one, how will it all turn out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know it's been like 7 years since I last updated aside from a tumblr exclusive drabble from the other day. But I got something out, and hopefully I will get another one out sometime soonish. In the meantime, enjoy!

“Are you sure about this Chat?” Marinette whispered a few weeks later. She was looking at her appearance and finally decided that, yes, she was dressed for a ball. Incredibly uncomfortable, but dressed for a ball no less.

“Marinette you look beautiful,” Chat assured her as he sat in his chair. When she'd asked if he had plans to go to this event where she'd make her debut as the ward of some family Chat had connections in, Chat had replied that if he deigned to go she wouldn't recognize him at all.

“Flattering as that is, my appearance wasn't exactly something I was worried about. How on earth am I supposed to keep the story you taught me straight? I'm not exactly good at lying,” a lie in and of itself, however white. Lies of omission were incredibly easy for her as they required nothing more than keeping her mouth shut. But keeping together a careful narrative such as the one her benefactor had constructed? Considerably more complex, and more likely to go wrong. A few weeks of strict training was nothing on the courses the rest of society had taken over the years. One wrong word or gesture and the ruse would be exposed, and Marinette felt her luck far too bad to really logically consider anything otherwise.

“It's not a lie, per se,” Chat replied, nitpicking the details as only he could it seemed, “You're just, leaving the truth up for interpretation. You were the daughter of well-to-do parents from out of the city. They died suddenly when you were incredibly young and you wandered until you were picked up and subsequently raised in a cloister until now. When your next of kin found you they were too ill to properly introduce you and asked for your coming out to be sponsored by another family on their behalf.”

“That's not the whole truth,” Marinette pointed out.

“It's as close to the truth as we can possibly get.” Chat answered, “Marinette, I want to see you well settled down. I managed to save you from a life you were not made for. If you want to make a good match out of it you cannot tell the truth. Everyone lies in this world, there's simply nothing for it.”

“I don’t like it,”

“You don’t have to,” Chat replied, “Believe me, I don’t like it either but it’s a necessary evil.”

“And what happens when I invariably make a fool out of myself?” Marinette asked him, “I don’t feel like myself and I certainly won’t be able act the part I’m supposed to play.”

“Don’t worry,”  Chat soothed, “Someone will come to your rescue, why do you think I managed to wrangle invitations for Luka and Nino? They’ll protect you, probably the latter much more than the former but,” he shrugged helplessly.

Luka had his own issues to deal with. He’d asked Adrien to help support Miss Tsurugi’s debut into society -her mother’s money doing most of the heavy lifting as it was- and Adrien had agreed, with the caveat that Luka would be responsible for her the entire night. Luka wasn’t the best at social interaction, but being a watcher meant he knew the rules of the game better than anyone. Adrien was counting on that. He himself was already a little nervous. After all, Marinette had confessed to loving the side of him that would by necessity need to be out tonight. And he simply couldn’t stand by and watch as Marinette foundered. He would step in, but he wasn’t sure how to act around her as his noble self. It was so much easier as Chat. Yes, Marinette knew he had money, but not his title or rank, and she didn’t seem to care either. Additionally, Marinette didn’t have feelings for Chat, and Chat didn’t have the pressure of trying to remember where he’d first met Marinette and made such an impression that she considered herself in love with him. Of course, Marinette had said she didn’t expect him to remember meeting her, or even return her feelings, since she never had the courage nor opportunity to confess.

But therein lay the other dilemma. If Marinette wished to speak with him and confess, how could he let her down knowing he would have to watch her mourn her broken heart? She was already staying at his private apartments, and Adrien had no desire to return home if at all avoidable. But, a bit of familial tension was perhaps the least he could put up with to spare her feelings. And of course, this was all assuming that she would meet with him, and confess. Nino would certainly be there to swoop in should the need be. The poor minstrel was still not over Miss Cesaire’s betrayal and likely wouldn’t want anything to do with anyone other than Marinette for the time being anyways.

Maybe he was overthinking things. Still, it couldn’t hurt could it? Nah. Chat was ready in his basicwear, something that could go unnoticed by everyone if he wore a different jacket. At least, he  _ hoped _ that would be the impression. So long as the overall ensemble appeared different he would likely be fine. Of course, Chat often did not bother with a waistcoat or a cravat if he deigned to attend a formal event, which he usually didn’t. Adrien Agreste adhered strictly to every new element of fashion dictate.

“Well,” Marinette sighed, “I suppose knowing that Nino and Luka will be there.” She squares up her jaw and set a determined look on her brow, “Alright Chaton, lets go to a ball.”

MLB

The ballroom was elegant and yet grandiosely lavish at the same time. Or maybe that was simply how it appeared to Marinette, who was more used to Chat’s understated wealth within his decor. Tasteful paintings and quality furniture and that sort of thing. Not gaudy ballrooms decked in colors and draped in silks. People, men and women in their finest -or some of at least- were swirling about, some wandering, dancing, strolling in groups. And then there were the spectators, the eagle-eyed matrons keeping a sharp gaze on the dancefloor, looking for the next scandal to set the gossip tongues a wagging. Or so Nino, who had become Marinette’s escort for the evening, had explained to her.

When Marinette questioned how he knew such things Nino had shrugged and replied, “Didn’t you know? I’m the disinherited youngest son of one of these bores.”

“What?” Marinette softly gasped. She’d really had no idea. Nino seemed to be completely against all that Chat had told her the upper class stood for.

“It’s true,” Nino replied, “I loved music, but I was the spare to a spare. My dad wanted to use me to make a match for money instead of music. I told him I didn’t want to do that, didn’t want the tour of europe education he had planned out for me. I told him I wanted music. And so he kicked me out and disowned me.”

“Is that how you met Chat?” Marinette wondered.

“Nah, met him when I returned from Vienna,” Nino informed her, “I learned a lot from studying Mozart and the like, learned a few new instruments too.”

“Can you play anything?”

“It seems like it at times,” Nino laughed, “But we better get you introduced if we want to face our friend later on.”

Names and titles brushed by in a whirl, spinning through Marinette’s head until they turned into a tangled up knot and she couldn’t tell a Duc from a Vicomte. How anyone managed to keep all these things straight was beyond her. There was one person she could remember without trouble. A famous artist by the name of Nathaniel Kurtzberg. Apparently he was the artiste de mode for the haught ton and had painted several masterful portraits for the finest of the Parisian elite. They shared a good conversation (with Nino nearby watching) and talking with him was the most enjoyable thing out of the evening. A feat they continued when Nathaniel asked for her to take a quick turn with him about the dancefloor. Given that it was a waltz and therefore the dance Marinette was least likely to screw up she agreed. It was so nice talking with someone out of the realm of the elite. Someone much like her, who was a part of this world but might not have necessarily belonged. The only difference was that Nathaniel had gotten here on his talent. Marinette, on pity. Which she hated, but now wasn’t the time to think of such things. Now was the time for fun. And by god that was exactly what she intended to do.

MLB

“Why is it that you have been at my back all evening?” Kagami asked with an unimpressed brow raised at her sitter. They had stepped into the host’s study to speak in private, because she was getting fed up with the burning gaze lingering on her all evening. It made it hard to concentrate on making a good impression with any suitable young gentleman.

Luka let out a sigh, “I told you Kagami, my friend only agreed to help sponsor you if I would take responsibility. Which means I can’t leave you alone.”

“I may not be from the elite,” Kagami replied, “But you are a fool if you think mother expected me to get by in this world without any proper training. I can handle myself.”

“Oh really?” Luka raised a brow. He straightened up out of his slouched stance against the door, though his arms remained crossed.

With a purposeful stride and determined step, he approached her. Kagami thought she would be tough enough to stand her ground, but maybe it was the dress, the intimate and unfamiliar setting, or perhaps it was some of the sherry she’d drunk throughout the evening- whatever it was, Kagami felt more vulnerable with every step closer he took. And it got to the point where she was reflexively backing away from him, until she was backed up against a bookcase. Luka braced an arm against that same shelf above her head and loomed over her.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you could be in?” he whispered into her ear. Kagami froze at the sensation, “Do you have any idea how men think?”

“W- wh- well of course I do,” Kagami parried, “I was raised in a brothel after all.” though she’d been kept  _ well _ away from the salaciousness of its operation. Still, she got the general idea.

“I don’t think you do,” Luka countered, “So, allow me to educate you. Despite how many of those men out there have gentle in their description, there are those who are the absolute opposite. Those men that come to your mother’s brothel? They are surprisingly some of the more scrupulous ones, since they pay for their services. But there are rogues, men who will whisper sweet promises in your ear to get what they want from you. And because these men are so highly settled in society if you are ruined, if you become with child because you fall for the false promises, they will become untouchable. And your position is already precarious enough, do you want to risk ruination, a stain on your reputation for a few fleeting moments of passion? Or do you want to settle down with someone of good standing?”

“You sound as though you speak from experience,” Kagami narrowed her eyes at him, “Care to explain?”

“Why do you feel it necessary?”

“I find it hard to believe that your friend would have sanctioned you as the guardian of my chastity if they did not believe you morally scrupulous enough to be incapable of going after it himself.”

Luka was so caught off guard that he began to laugh, “You know, I don’t think he ever even considered it. He’s been busy with his own girl to be quite honest.”

“So are you, or aren’t you?” Kagami pressed.

He smirked, “Care to find out?”

“What do you-” her question halted when she felt his gloved hand at her chin, angling her head upward and holding it steady.

And yet, the grip was loose enough that she knew if she really wanted to she could break away. The question was, did she? Despite her place of residence, her upbringing had been incredibly strict and incredibly sheltered. Fencing was her big rebellion, if she had to leave the brothel for any reason she was properly attired and escorted by a guard. She had been trained in etiquette, in the hierarchy of the social order she was trying to infiltrate, rigid and regimented with a time and place for everything.

But hadn’t Luka just been warning her about being taken advantage of by sweet words and promises? What would this lead to? Would it lead to anything? Luka was halted just a hair's breadth away from her, she could feel his lips brush against hers when he spoke,

“Do you want this, or not?”

The contact sent sparks, tingles of awareness across her mouth and down through the rest of her body. It felt unexpected, but wonderful, exquisite,  _ divine _ . And that’s when Kagami had her answer. Her hands, which until this point had remained frozen at her sides, reached up and twined over his shoulders and around his neck. A breathy gasp of, “ _ Yes _ ,” was all that escaped her as she tugged him closer.

MLB

How had this happened? That was the question running through Marinette’s head as Nino introduced her to Lord Adrien Agreste. In the back of her mind, Marinette logically realized that it wasn’t completely unexpected that he was here. It was just something that hadn’t occurred to her. She wished it had, perhaps she could have gone to Chat and asked for advice on how to handle it. How was she supposed to deal with her feelings? Were her feelings even based in reality? She’d known him for a single evening, as Ladybug. He wasn’t even aware of Marinette’s existence.

Marinette’s cordial and gracious smile suddenly felt painfully overstretched and fake. She had utterly ceased paying attention to the words spewing forth from the men’s mouths. And she could only hope that they were unaware of the turmoil going on inside her head. She only came back to reality when she realized that they were both looking at her with a bit of concern in their expression.

“I ah, pardon your grace,” Marinette blushed, cheeks burning with embarrassment, “My thoughts appear to have wandered off on me.”

Adrien laughed gently, “Have you found them then, Mademoiselle?”

“I, uh, yes, I appear to have blathered, I mean,  _ gathered _ my thoughts.” Marinette could feel her flush deepen.

“It’s quite alright Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien assured her, “There are many times where my own thoughts do the same,” then he noticed the redding stain that was spreading over her skin and the concerned look returned, “Oh dear, do you need to retire to the garden for some air? You appear to be overheating.”

“I, um, you see-” Marinette couldn’t get a coherent sentence together, and was instead left to utter half started ones instead.

“You know,” Nino remarked, “I think you’re right Your Grace. Would you mind doing me a favor and taking a turn about the garden with her? I’ve been wanting to play a round of cards, and as I’m sure you know it’s really no place for a lady.”

Marinette, too caught up in her own thoughts, did not notice the scheming glint in Nino’s eyes. But Adrien did. He knew how risky it was to approach her like this, given her feelings for this side of him and the need to protect his identity as Chat. But given that he was nobility and she was having her coming out it would have seemed a terrible snub if he was not seen meeting her for the first time. Of course, Nino certainly wasn’t helping matters. He seemed to be of the mind that Marinette was the type of woman he needed in his life on a permanent basis. And while Adrien could make that agreement, he meant it only as a friend. What Nino was pushing for was an engagement. But of course, he wouldn’t be rude to her here.

“I would be delighted to,” Adrien said, perhaps a little more forced than he had intended, as he offered his arm to her. Timidly Marinette took it and they wandered outside.

She was quiet. And looking anywhere but at him. For Adrien’s part he thought of many ways to begin a conversation, but they all died on his tongue the moment he opened his mouth. Eventually they reached a decorative gazebo and stared out at the stars.

“I… I apologize for my seeming disinterest in the conversation earlier,” Marinette whispered to the evening air, “If I offended, I certainly did not mean to.”

“I wasn’t offended at all!” Adrien quickly replied, desperate to reassure her. She was so unused to this world, it was only natural that she would be nervous. “I mean, this is all new to you, isn’t it?”

“I, ah, yes,” Marinette fidgeted, “You see, I was raised in relative seclusion by rather simple people ever since my parents’ untimely deaths. I am, unused to this world, it seems so different from the one I left behind.”

“I imagine country life had its own charms, don’t you think?”

“I would never dare imagine a different life, no matter how I love my parents. I had a wonderful life there, but it certainly wasn’t without its own hardships,” she let out a breath of laughter, “This feels so familiar though.”

“How so?”

Marinette bit her lip, and looked unsure of what she wanted to say next. Eventually she took a deep breath and said, “Perhaps I shouldn’t say this,” she admitted, “But I have been in Paris for quite sometime now. Obviously this is my coming out, but it has been quite an ordeal trying to gain what should have been an entire life’s worth of education ingrained in considerably less time. However, there was a night…”

“A night?” Adrien felt his breathing speed, but hitch with anticipation.

“It will probably seem silly,” Marinette continued, “But I was not, I did not appear as I do now. I was in trouble, and you helped me, I’ve never forgotten it. I was actually hoping I could meet you again, so I could thank you.”

“I, what exactly did I do?”

Marinette shook her head, “It doesn’t really matter. You didn’t know me, and you certainly wouldn’t be able to rectify my appearance with the me you saw that night. Suffice it to say, you showed me kindness when I was in desperate need of it. And for that I am eternally grateful to you.”

“I’m… glad I could be of assistance to you then,” Adrien had this niggling feeling in the back of his head, and not simply because he had heard the same story as Chat.

“May I be so bold as to ask a favor of you Your Grace?”

“Well, that would depend on the size of the favor Mademoiselle,” Adrien replied, “I will agree to hear it out though.”

“Your friendship Your Grace, that’s all I ask for,” Marinette told him, “I feel you are a good person, but I would like to know myself. Would you grant me that?”

“Friendship,” Adrien repeated dumbly, having halfway expected a confession from her, “I… I would be honored to call you my friend Miss Dupain-Cheng,”

“My thanks Your Grace,” Marinette nodded.

“Then, shall I ask you for a dance? As friends of course,” Adrien offered his arm again.

Marinette blushed again but managed to tamp it down with a deep breath. Sending a smile his way she took it and replied, “I would be honored.”

MLB

“I can’t believe you agreed to come to this with me,” Gabriel murmured as he took a turn about the ballroom with his guest.

“I can’t believe you invited me,” Nathalie parried, “Did you think I would blow you off?”

“At the risk of sounding too vulgar, in different circumstances it might be the most hoped for outcome, as it stands though,” he shrugged, “You never leave the brothel.”

“Forgetting that week already?” Nathalie shot him a coy glance.

“As if I could,” Gabriel cleared his throat, hoping to every god out there the heat he was feeling at her reminder wasn’t showing on his face. Or anywhere else, “You made me feel like a boy again.”

“Oh dear,” Nathalie clicked her tongue, “I’ve never infantilized my partners that badly before. But then,” she smiled, “I never tried to enjoy myself as much. Forgive me if I was a bit too, voracious for you.”

“I’m not saying it was a bad thing,” Gabriel’s low tone sounded like a whispered under the din of the crowd, “I’m just, unfortunately, not as young as I once was. It’s a bit harder to keep up.”

“Pun intended?” Nathalie arched a brow at him as she smirked. Then she added, “You could have fooled me. How old are you anyways?”

“You didn’t already know?”

Nathalie shook her head, “I don’t pay attention to most gossip. I spent that week with you because I  _ enjoy _ being with you, in bed or out.” she paused a moment, as if realizing the implications her words could have, “That wasn’t a confession by the way, I’m not about say I’m in love with you.”

“Nor I with you,” Gabriel replied, “But I understand the sentiment nonetheless. You think I would have ever even  _ entertained _ the notion of that week if I didn’t? And to answer your question, I am forty-five.”

“Really?” Nathalie looked surprised, “I never would have guessed that. You’re older than I thought.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, how old are you?”

Nathalie blushed, “Shouldn’t a gentleman never ask a Lady’s age?”

“You’re no lady, and being noble does not make me a gentleman in the slightest.

Nathalie placed a hand over her mouth as she laughed, “True, true. I’m twenty-eight.”

“That young?”

“This life ages you faster than you might think possible,” Nathalie reminded him, “Ladybug is only sixteen.”

“I don't know why you felt the need to bring her up, but noted all the same.”

“Age is a relative thing in our world Gabriel, you know that-”

“Yes I know,” he suddenly became aware of her distraction, “What is it that has captured your attention?”

“Hm?” Nathalie snapped out of her trance, “Oh it’s nothing. I simply thought I saw…” she shook her head, “I was probably mistaken. It’s nothing.”

“Are you quite certain of that?”

“Yes, I think, wait,” she began to wander closer and closer to the edge of the dancefloor. When Gabriel caught up to her, it was to find her gaze riveted to the dancers and whispering to herself, “No, it can’t be…”

“Can’t be what?” Gabriel pressed.

But Nathalie seemed lost in her own little world, utterly unaware of the fact that she was speaking aloud, “Is that,  _ Marinette _ ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it, please leave a comment. If you didn't, leave one and tell me how i can improve. Until next time everyone!


	13. The Ball- Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the Ball and its aftermath, and things will never be the same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while, but the story will be coming to a close in the next few chapters so please forgive the author. Hope you enjoy!

“Feel ready to dance?” Luka asked when he finally recovered his somewhat limited ability to speak.

“I’m always ready,” Kagami retorted, “The question is, do I  _ look _ ready?”

It was relatively difficult to fix oneself up without the aid of a mirror. But, since looking for one without attempting to right their appearances would be social suicide, they had to make do.

“I think you look stunning,” Luka answered honestly. Her appearance was still a little rumpled, but he was no lady’s maid and likely wouldn’t be able to offer any help other than making it worse. She made her way to the door but he stopped her.

“Wait,” he whispered. Then he strode out as casually as could be, checking the secluded hallway for prying eyes. When he was satisfied that all was clear and there was no chance of Kagami getting ruined before she could even step out into the scene, he ducked back inside and said, “Give me a minute’s head start, then leave and return to the ballroom. I’ll be waiting by the garden doors.”

It was what he was doing when he saw Adrien and Marinette returning from their excursion outside. They were arm in arm and happy as clams. That didn’t sit well with Luka, but then, he’d been against Adrien attending this ball from the start. Namely because it was too risky, she could find out who he was and ruin him. Could she really though? The Agreste name carried a lot more weight, but Adrien was a soft-touch, and he might marry her to keep his secret. There was really no way of knowing how it would all work out.

Marinette smiled when she saw him though. And Luka kind of felt bad. He didn’t hate Marinette by any stretch of the imagination. He quite liked her actually. But his friendship with Adrien took precedence and while Marinette didn’t seem the type to do anything to hurt anyone, one never knew in this world. Maybe he was simply too jaded, and traveling had only allowed him to see the worst in people. Marinette was sweet, she was nice, she was pretty. And if she ended up making Adrien happy, would it really be so bad? Furthermore, would she really be the type to use blackmail to get what she wanted? She certainly didn’t seem so.

“Luka!” she greeted happily, forgetting that she wasn’t technically supposed to know him. At least, not in front of other people.

He merely nodded in greeting, and that was all she needed. Immediately she turned to Adrien with a blush on her cheeks and explained, “The… family that’s sponsoring me is a friend of his.”

“I see,” Adrien said, utterly bemused, “As it so happens Luka’s a good friend of mine as well. And how are you doing this evening my friend?”

“I’m well, all things considered,” Luka replied, shooting a pointed glance at the nobleman.

“Aren’t  _ you  _ escorting a young lady this evening yourself?” Adrien asked with a smug smirk.

“I am,: Luka admitted, teeth gritted. Marinette was instantly atop this piece of information.

“Luka, do you have a sweetheart?” she was both excited and teasing at the same time, “Oh that’s wonderful!”

“I’m not- she’s- we’re not-” Luka was fumbling over his words, and this was why he preferred music to poetry, “I’m watching over her as per her sponsor’s request,” he finally managed to spit out.

Marinette pouted, “Oh, that’s too bad.”

“There you are!” came another voice Luka and everyone turned to watch Kagami stride towards them, “What happened to not letting me out of your-” she halted when she noticed, “Marinette?”

“Kagami?” Marinette countered. There was a brief moment where the two girls did nothing but stare at one another. And then they were swept up in the other’s embrace, chattering wildly.

“I thought I’d never see you again!” “How are you?” “What are you doing here?” “I thought you left-”

“Ahem,” Adrien cleared his throat, reminding the two that he and Luka were still there, “I see you two know each other.”

“I ah, yes,” Marinette touched the back of her hair before realizing it had been specifically styled for this evening and she wasn’t supposed to scratch, “Kagami and I are childhood friends. We… we grew up in the same neighborhood.”

“I see,” Adrien nodded, “Well in that case, shall we dance?”

“Mind if I steal Marinette away from you friend?” Nino slid into the conversation, “I believe the next dance was promised to me.”

“I would argue against that Nino,” Adrien laughed, “But go ahead. The dance after that, however, I will have to intervene.”

“But of course,” Nino agreed, “Come along Miss Marinette.”

Marinette giggled and took his arm. They floated to the dance floor and began the waltz. Thankfully Nino was a good lead. And yet Marinette couldn’t help the spot of disappointment, she had really wanted to dance with Adrien. Still, Nino needed a friend right now, how could she say no? Besides, Adrien had claimed her next dance for himself, there was a silver lining if ever there was one.

Unfortunately, it seemed fortune had decided not to favor her this evening. Well, her or Nino. because their dance was interrupted with a hushed gasp still audible over the din of the crowd.

“Nino?” the named stopped in his tracks, stock still. He knew that voice, Marinette knew that voice too. Nino immediately began walking off the dancefloor, leaving his partner behind. Marinette didn’t blame him in the slightest.

“Nino wait!” Alya called after him, “Please listen to me!”

Marinette stepped in the young lady’s path, “And where do you think you’re going Miss Cesaire?”

Alya, bedecked in autumnal reds and oranges, looked dismayed, “Please Marinette, I  _ have _ to speak to him.”

“You can refer to me as Miss Dupain-Cheng, thank you very much,” Marinette stared her down coldly, “And I’ll thank you profusely if you  _ don’t _ .”

“But Marinette-”

“I think Miss Dupain-Cheng has made it quite clear that our shared friend does  _ not _ wish to speak to you,” Adrien appeared at her side, Luka standing silently to the other. Most of the congregation had stopped to watch the unfolding scene. And because they had done so, Alya cowed to the societal pressures and stepped back before fleeing. And now Marinette really felt the embarrassment as she realized all of the eyes were trained on her, and judging her. Her cheeks began to pink and she fled.

MLB

The garden was the only refuge Marinette could think of. She needed air. Their gazes has been suffocating, and Marinette had  _ felt _ their judgement. How was she supposed to find a husband like Chat wanted if she was deemed a social pariah? Her position had started out tenuous, and standing up to another woman in the defense of a man? She doubted that would go over well. She dreaded the paper that was to come tomorrow morning. Hell, she dreaded going back  _ in _ there. She didn’t want to return to the party where she clearly didn’t fit in. She wanted to go home. She wanted her sewing. She wanted… she wanted…

Marinette felt tears trail down her cheek as she realized that what she wanted most right now was Chat.

“Chat,” her lip quivered and the tears came harder, “Chat,” it was the litany of her sobs as she collapsed into the grass, uncaring of the stains or creases she would leave on her gown.

“Did someone call?” his voice caused her to look up with a start. He was there, mask and all. He was here, and Marinette had never felt so relieved.

“Chat!” she stumbled to her feet and nearly bowled him over as she ran to him, “Chat I’m so happy you’re here!”

Chat was surprised with the reception. When Marinette had run off Adrien had had to quickly sink back into the shadows so he might alter his clothes and escape notice. He had a feeling Chat would be needed, as Marinette was unlikely to trust Adrien with her feelings. Still, he didn’t expect her to be like this. She was sobbing into his jacket, clutching at his sleeves, holding onto him as though she were afraid he would disappear if she let go.

“You’re here, you’re here,” she hiccuped, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“How could I leave my princess to fend for herself?” he asked with a wry smirk.

“You think I’m a princess?” Marinette sniffed, looking up at him with shined eyes from her tears.

“Is there any reason you shouldn’t be?” he brushed away one that broke free.

“How long have you been here?” she asked him.

“I told you I’d be keeping an eye on you, didn’t I?”

“But how-”

“Shh,” he hushed her, “I have my ways and my means. That’s all you need to know. Are you ready to go home?”

“I-”

“Marinette?” a female voice broke in before she could answer. “Marinette I thought that was you.”

It caught Marinette’s attention, and Chat instantly melted into the shadows. While he hadn’t done anything reckless in this persona for a long while, he wasn’t sure that anyone from this world needed to know that Chat Noir was around.

Marinette, meanwhile, was preoccupied with the owner of the voice, “Nathalie? What are you doing here?”

“I was invited here,” Nathalie replied, “By… well, my escort doesn’t so much matter.”

“I think he does, does he know…” Marinette trailed off meaningfully, still aware that even though she couldn’t see Chat, it didn’t mean he wasn’t listening in.

“He does,” Nathalie nodded, “He came to me for information, on Ladybug.” on  _ you _ went unspoken, but it was implied all the same, “He knew from the very beginning what I was. And then,”

“It turned into more?”

“I, I don’t know,” Nathalie shook her head, “But we’re not here to talk about me. What are you doing here?”

“The man I went to stay with is wealthy, he wanted to see me happily matched off and taken care of.”

“And he doesn’t want to do it himself?” Nathalie raised a brow.

“He’s not,” Marinette blushed, “We’re not like that.”

“That stain on your cheeks says otherwise.”

A million emotions that Marinette did not want to examine at this moment washed over her, causing her heart to beat erratically.

“I’m a little overwhelmed tonight Nathalie, can’t you see I’ve been crying?” Marinette gestured to her rather unimmaculate appearance, “I committed social suicide by protecting my sponsor’s friend like that. I felt their  _ eyes _ on me Nathalie. I’m not meant for this world.”

“I know, I know,” Nathalie gathered the young woman in her arms, “It’s hard, it’s so hard. I should have taught you some of this when I had the chance. I just, I wanted to give you the opportunity I never had, the opportunity to be a child. I don’t regret giving you that, I just wish I had found a way to balance both so you wouldn’t feel so out of place here.”

“Didn’t you used to say it took years to be properly trained? I’m working off about a month’s worth of etiquette and dance lessons, all taught by males. I should have known I wouldn’t have a chance.”

“That’s not true,” Nathalie pushed back a stray hair, “There are those who will look past social mores when it aligns with their morals. A true gentleman will appreciate your concern for a friend, regardless of the scene you made.”

“And how many ‘true gentlemen’ do you think are out there?” Marinette asked in response, “Moreover, how many of them will think I’m not already engaged with Nino’s affections.”

“What exactly caused such distress?” Nathalie asked.

“Alya,” Marinette replied, “He visited her while she was under her Rena guise. And he was in love with her. He was as much wounded by her betrayal as we were.”

“Well,” Nathalie attempted to look for a silver lining. But finding none she added, “Women like me aren’t meant to stay as long as I have. Not as a lady in a brothel.”

“I know,” Marinette said quietly. She had watched as many girls only a few years older than herself came and went, beginning their training in the brothel and quickly finding a few gentlemen to dedicate themselves to entirely. All girls in the brothel aspired to become a wealthy lord’s mistress. They dared not hope for the position of wife, they knew their station well.

“Perhaps I should have become a mistress years ago, but how could I leave you behind? You were so young,” Nathalie cradled Marinette close and began petting her hair, “I’ll never regret what I’ve done to protect you, but I find that more and more my options are becoming limited. I’m sorry, parenting has never been my strong suit.”

“You did the best you could,” Marinette looked up at the taller woman, “And to be honest if not for you, I likely could have turned out way worse.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Nathalie laughed mirthlessly, “But now we each face a choice, what do we do with our lives now?”

“I think you should go after your suitor,” Marinette answered, “And me, well… I’ll find someway to manage. Kagami made her debut this evening too, maybe we can retire to the countryside together if she can’t make a match of it. Or if she can, perhaps I can ask for a position in her household.”

“And what of your gentleman?” Nathalie asked.

Marinette shook her head, “I already told you, and even if I did, he would never see me that way. The one he  _ loves _ is Ladybug, the one he’s got is Marinette.”

“I wouldn’t sell yourself short like that,” Nathalie tilted Marinette’s face up by the chin, “The one lesson being one of us teaches is that of knowing your own worth, and knowing the worth of others. And I know for a fact you’re worth more than you’re saying. You don’t really believe such self-depreciating words, do you?”

“You’re right,” Marinette smiled, “I don’t. Don’t worry about me anymore Nathalie,” she hugged the one person she truly considered family tightly, “I’m a resourceful girl. I can fend for myself, come hell or high water.”

Nathalie smiled with maternal pride, “That’s my girl,” she nodded.

“Out of curiosity,” Marinette said as they began to walk back to the party, “Who is this gentleman who’s finally caught your affections?”

Before Nathalie could answer they ran into a figure standing by the gardens. Nathalie’s breath caught as the shadows around him melted away to reveal,

“Lord Agreste,” Marinette gasped. He looked at her, neither with warmth nor contempt, but with that cool detachment Nathalie had come to expect from him. It did, however, make Marinette feel uncomfortable and she haltingly, awkwardly added, “I’ll… just see myself out. A good evening your grace,” she curstied and hurried off. Chat picked her up shortly after and took her home.

“Your grace,” Nathalie tilted her head, “What brings you out here?”

“You,” was his one word reply, “Who was that girl you were with?”

“Marinette,” Nathalie replied, “A street urchin I took in when she was young. Somewhere between a daughter and a younger sister I suppose.”

“Ladybug, Marinette, how generous  _ is  _ your alleged absent heart?”

“Not so generous as you might think,” Nathalie replied. Considering that the two were the same person. But she didn’t dare tell him that. Not when Marinette was staying with his son.

“I’m sure,” Gabriel drawled, “What was she doing here?”

“She got picked up by a gentleman who thought she deserved better,” Nathalie replied, “I was as much surprised to see her here as you seem to be your grace. I can promise you I had no idea.”

“Raising an urchin to be a lady?” he tsked, “The talents some people think they possess.”

“You never answered my question your grace, what brought you out here?”

He scowled at her a moment before answering, “I was concerned about you.”

“So you followed after me? Why?”

“You’re going to make me say it here?”

“It’s always nice to hear the words you know.”

“Fine, I care about you. Are you happy?”

“I’d be happier if you hadn’t said it like I was holding a pistol to your head. But I’m sure you’ll remedy that later, when there are less eyes and ears about.” there was a flicker of something across his face and Nathalie raised a brow, “Or perhaps I should return to the brothel then. Well, I thank you for a pleasant evening your grace.”

She curtsied and made to walk off, stopped only by his call of, “Wait!”

Slowly, Nathalie turned, “Your grace?”

“I don’t, you can’t, that is…” he sighed, “I wish you no longer  _ had _ to return to that place.”

“Are you asking me to be your mistress?” Nathalie asked him.

“No,” Gabriel shook his head, “I’m asking you to be free.”

“Free?” Nathalie didn’t understand.

“I’ll buy it, your freedom. Surely Madame Tsurugi won’t wish to let her most profitable girl go so easily. And I’ll get you a house of your own, and then…”

“The way you are phrasing this makes it sound like you wish for me to be your mistress,” Nathalie informed him, “And it is not a bargain I feel I am willing to take.”

“I don’t want that… not yet.” Gabriel shook his head, “I want to see you free, and your own before we get too far with this.”

“Your grace, Gabriel,” she cupped his cheek, “I have always been my own. My location or position in life has never changed that. Do you want me? Only me?”

He nodded mutely.

“Then all you have to do is ask for it.”

“Nathalie,” Gabriel took her gloved hand and placed a kiss on it, “Would you consent to my courting you?”

“Your grace,” she replied, “I would love nothing more.”

MLB

“Why did you hold me back?” Kagami demanded once they were ensconced in a carriage on the way back to her home, “Marinette needs me!”

“Marinette has committed a serious social faux pas,” Luka replied, “And I am trying to help you protect your reputation among the peers. You can check in on her tomorrow, I know where she lives.”

“You know?” Kagami raised a brow at him.

“I know,” Luka repeated, “She lives with a good friend of mine. He’s taking care of her, I’m sure of it.”

“How can I trust that?” Kagami asked.

“It’s the same man she’s been staying with since she left the brothel,” Luka told her, “He’s a good man, he’d never do anything to harm her.”

“How can I trust that?”

“You can’t,” Luka agreed, “But you can trust me, can’t you?”

Kagami thought back to the kiss they had shared. She had trusted him then, couldn’t she trust him now?

“Alright,” she acquiesced, “Tomorrow I expect you to be back for me. I want to see my friend.”

“You two are very close, aren’t you?”

“We have been since the day she came,” Kagami admitted, “We look so alike that we used to switch places with each other for fun. The day Maman decided she needed to start working, I wanted to die.”

“Working? As one of the girls?”

“Nathalie tried to stop Maman, but Marinette insisted. She’s always been a bit headstrong and reckless, especially when it comes to the people she cares about.”

“And this Nathalie is her mother?”

“No, not exactly,” Kagami answered, “Nathalie was the one who brought Marinette to the brothel. And she raised Marinette, well, everyone helped but Nathalie was the one Marinette was closest to before she started making friends. Marinette is the sweetest girl, it broke my heart to see her forced to become Ladybug…”

“Ladybug?” it had only been recently that Adrien had deigned to reveal to him the “name” of the girl who had so caught his eye. And only because, as Adrien had been informed, Ladybug had gone off to live with one of their patrons. There would be no finding her, so Luka didn’t have to worry about protecting Adrien. Or so both of them had thought apparently.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Kagami shook her head, “The girls have those names for a reason. Please, don’t tell her you know, don’t tell her I told you.”

“Why?” Luka was instantly vicious and suspicious, “So she can keep duping Adrien? Keep making him pay for a life that she’ll never have? Or has she got her eye on being his wife?”

“Adrien?” Kagami tilted her head to the side, “What are you talking about?”

“Adrien took in Marinette thinking she was a poor girl set to be forced into working. She’s been working the whole time. And what’s worse? She’s been duping him as both herself and Ladybug!” Luka paled, “Is she going to force him to marry her? How many men besides Adrien has she had?”

“There were only two customers who ever visited her as Ladybug,” Kagami narrowed her gaze, “And that was the young Lord Agreste, and Chat Noir.”

“Adrien  _ is _ Chat Noir!” Luka shouted, “But both of you already knew that, didn’t you?”

Kagami’s mouth dropped open in shock, “ _ What _ ?”

It was that one reaction which made him stop running solely on emotions and protective instinct. The shock in her voice was too raw, too earnest to be an act. She’d had no idea, which meant that Marinette hadn’t either.

“Wait, you didn’t know?”

“Before this evening I’d never even  _ met _ Lord Agreste,” Kagami answered, “And Marinette never said a word. She’s had a crush on Lord Agreste since the first night. He treated her so gently she was smitten. I don’t think she would have been so nervous around him tonight if she knew the gentleman she fancied herself in love with was the same man who devoted himself to her for so long. Chat Noir was Ladybug’s friend. Adrien Agreste was her prince charming.”

“Oh no,” Luka ran a hand through his hair, disheveling the locks, “You can’t tell her. Or him, they can’t know yet.”

“Why shouldn’t we tell them?” Kagami asked, “From the sound of things they’ve been pining after each other for months. Shouldn’t we put an end to it?”

“We can’t tell them,” Luka shook his head, “First, we have no way to convince them of our claims. Second, we have no way this is news they’ll react positively to. We have to remain silent, and let them figure it out for themselves.”

Kagami thought for a long moment, then sighed, “I get it,” she replied, “I don’t like it, but I get it.”

“So it’s a promise then?” Luka asked her.

“Of course,” Kagami waited a beat before using the momentum of the rocking carriage to hop onto the opposite seat where Luka was.

“What are you-” before he could finish the question Kagami darted up and kissed him again.

She drew back and said, “I was always told that a promise sealed with a kiss is unbreakable.”

Luka blinked at her a few times before her words really sank in, “How bold of you,” he said, lips curling slyly, “Shall we make sure our pact is in fact sealed then?”

Her eyes dropped to half-mast and she smiled, “That would be most agreeable.”

MLB

Marinette hadn’t been able to sleep that night. She’d been tossing and turning and overthinking everything. Nathalie’s words had been like a ghost at her bedside, haunting her relentlessly. She thought of Chat, of everything he’d done for her, both as Marinette and Ladybug. She thought of how Ladybug had broken his heart with her unexplained absence. Thanks to him, Ladybug was dead, and it was her earrings Marinette now wore. Earrings that were hers, and yet not meant for her. This was all so confusing.

It was only made worse by the thought that every time she even thought the name Chat her heart started to beat erratically. It should have been evidence enough in itself how she felt about him. But Marinette had barely had a chance to get over meeting Adrien again. But the gentle lord who had spent the night with Ladybug, he was just as sweet now. And yet, he did not match Marinette’s memory of that night. Because he was real, and more and more that long ago night seemed like a dream. She had his friendship, and she felt strangely satisfied with that. Did she foolishly hope he might see her as more? Yes, but in the sense that a young girl might think of any man she had a modicum of affection for. A flight of fancy, not grounded in reality. She could only imagine a golden happiness if she were to be with Adrien, rose-tinted, and unmarred by the tragedy she knew all too well real life held.

But with Chat? She tried to picture it. And found that married life with him would feel much the same as it already did. They might bicker and argue, but he was fun to be around, and made her laugh. And most of all she felt safe. She was never nervous around him, because she knew what he was like. She knew how he ticked, though she didn’t know his face. Chat was her best friend, was it really so strange that he could be more? That was the question lingering when exhaustion finally allowed her some rest.

The next morning she was wandering around the townhouse with bleary eyes, half catatonic. She wanted food, hot, piping, and greasy. She needed something to fill her up and distract her from her meandering thoughts and emotions. Well, be careful in wishing. The doorbell rang, and seeing as she was near it, Marinette answered without a second thought. Who she saw on the other side shocked her awake.

“Alya?”

The other girl looked just as surprised to see her there too, “Marinette?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same question of you.”

“I live here, what’s your excuse?”

“I-” Alya looked around, “Can we not do this out here, please?”

“I would rather not do it at all.”

“I get that, but please, let me explain.”

“Why should I?” Marinette leaned against the doorjamb, “You  _ lied _ to us Alya, we took you in, treated you like family, and not only did you lie to us, you then used us,  _ betrayed _ us. And you made a tidy profit of it while you were at it.”

“Marinette please,” Alya begged, “I get that you’re upset with me-”

“You have no idea how  _ angry  _ I am at you, do you?” Marinette glared at her, “I thought you were my friend.”

“I was, I am,” Alya parried, “I never wanted-”

“And perhaps worse than hurting me, you hurt someone I care about,” Marinette added, “Do you know what Nino’s been like since he found out? He loved you, Alya, he seriously loved you and you used that love for your own gain.”

“I’m sorry,” Alya sniffed as tears began to trail down her cheeks, “I never meant for any of this to happen.”

Her remorse touched Marinette’s heart, softening it. Alya wasn’t malicious, it was the one thing she was sure of. So she sighed and relented, “Fine, I’ll hear you out, but please, don’t expect my forgiveness.”

MLB

“The one thing I’ve always wanted to do in life was be a reporter,” Alya said, staring into the cup of tea Tikki had provided her. Marinette sat on the couch across from her, watching skeptically, “But you know newspapers: all run by men, all convinced a woman can’t do the job as well as another man. I wanted so desperately to prove myself. But you know, the only thing that sells these days is scandal. So I proposed the most scandalous thing I could think of, an expose on the most popular brothel in Paris.

“Well, the editor was interested, but wanted proof I could get the information. So, I disguised myself as a poor girl and went to Madame’s. There, I became Rena. I used Launadam to knock out my patrons, after receiving the money for the house of course, and would take notes on what I saw. And then, there was you. And everyone was so nice and welcoming. I felt guilty but resolved to finish what I had started, hating myself all the while. But then, Nino came. At first, I thought he would make an interesting anecdote, but the more he came to visit, the more fond of him I grew. And the more I realized I began to love him.

“But I was under contract, an agreement, with the editor. I couldn’t freely love him with this hanging over my head. I went to the paper to renege, have them scrap my article. I wasn’t even there as long as I had planned. But the editor grabbed my notebook and claimed I had gathered more than enough. I  _ tried _ , Marinette, I tried to tell him I didn’t want this anymore. But they wouldn’t listen. And part of the contract was that my name would be printed, and so it was. I knew the day it came out how much it was going to hurt everyone. But I had tried, and I couldn’t do anything. I thought that with enough effort, a woman could do anything a man could. But the way this world is set up, I was powerless to stop what I had set in motion. And now, the only thing I want to do is find Nino and tell him how sorry I am. I want to tell him that what I felt when I was with him, none of it was an act, none of it was supposed to be shared. And I want to tell him that I  _ still _ feel that way. Can’t you understand that?”

“I understand,” Marinette agreed, “But Nino, he’s been a wreck since that article came out. Do you really think he’ll forgive you?”

“I don’t even know if I  _ want _ him to forgive me.” Alya replied, “But I want him to know that I am sorry for what I did. The very least he deserves is an apology.”

“I believe you didn’t mean any harm,” Marinette stirred her tea and took a sip, contemplating a lot of things, “But scandal always ends up hurting someone. And I’m sure you learned that the girls in Madame’s, in brothels all over the city, they’re people too.”

“If I could go back, I would rewrite the whole article, detailing how amazing you guys are.”

“Now there’s a solution,” Marinette laughed, “Rewrite the article into something that puts the blame where it belongs.”

Alya’s eyes lit up, “That’s it exactly!” she exclaimed, “That’s what I need to do! You’re the best Marinette!”

“I, what?” Marinette hadn’t been serious when she encouraged that line of thought.

“I need to do pennance for what I’ve done. And as a reporter I’m supposed to tell the truth right? Well, might as well do both. I will rewrite that expose to be more truthful than the last, and this will be an article I’ll be proud to have my name on.”

“Oh,” Marinette gave a strained smile, “Glad I could help then.”

“Before I go, I just have one question,” Alya looked straight at her, unaware that her next words were about to shatter everything, “When did you start living at Adrien Agreste’s house?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Until next time everyone


	14. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So now she knows, the question remains: what is she going to do about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, it's been a while I know. Welp, real life is going to get even worse so perhaps updates will come on a monthly basis until things calm down. The good news? We're almost done with the story, hooray!

Marinette’s brain short circuited at that. She couldn’t get out more than a stuttering, “Wh-what?”

“Lord Adrien Agreste,” Alya stuck her head out as though she was surprised by Marinette’s surprise, “The owner of this house. The one who lives here. The man who took your virginity, remember?”

“He- he-” Marinette was in the middle of hyperventilating. “I, Alya, you need to go. I, I'm suddenly not feeling so good.”

“Oh,” Alya nodded sympathetically, “Of course Marinette. Do you mind if I call on you later though? I think I'll want some interviews from the friends I made, if you don't mind that is.”

“I’ll,” Marinette breathed in, trying to sound as normal as possible, “I’ll have to think about that too.”

“Alright,” Alya nodded, “Goodbye Marinette,”

“Goodbye Alya,” Marinette nodded. She closed the door and braced herself against it. The shock had made her numb, but she could sense the rushing tide. Adrien, the man she had harbored feelings for, the man she had decided to be friends with before she let her overzealous emotions get the better of her once again, he was Chat.

And Chat, the man who had bought every night of her time for so long, the man who made her laugh, who became her best friend, her benefactor, he was Adrien. It was almost too much to process. And she had rejected him for himself. Good god how embarrassing that was. More embarrassing still, Marinette realized, was the fact that she had basically confessed her feelings for him  _ right to his face _ . But then, hadn't he done the same with her?

Marinette wandered the house in a daze until she came to the kitchen. Plagg and Tikki were sitting enjoying a meal together -what exactly their relationship was was something that still baffled Marinette- in companionable silence. They shot the girl a concerned look as she stood in the doorway, looking like a lost wraith.

“What's wrong Marinette?” Tikki asked, immediately getting up from her seat.

“Chat… Chat is Adrien,” she muttered dazedly.

Tikki’s expression immediately told Marinette the housekeeper had known. Not only has she known, she had known Marinette had not.

“I'm sorry,” she said quietly.

“Did he ask you not to tell me?” Marinette asked.

“Adrien has the identity as Chat for a reason,” Plagg explained, “It’s for freedom, Chat can act in ways that Adrien can't. And he enjoys it. When he brought you home, neither of us thought it was a good idea, especially considering how the papers like to talk, but he was adamant.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Marinette asked.

“Adrien had his own reasons,” Tikki replied, “Perhaps you should ask him yourself?”

“Fair enough,” Marinette replied, “Where did he go?”

MLB

Adrien had gone to see his father that morning. This woman, this lady from the brothel that he had been seeing, when he had all but told Adrien that involving oneself with that type of woman was absolutely disgraceful and could not be tolerated as an Agreste. It galled. It stung. And while Gabriel was off being a hypocrite, Adrien had lost his chance at happiness with his one true love.

Was she though? Or was it first love? The more time he spent with Marinette the harder that line became to distributing. Still, Adrien couldn’t help but feel he’d been cheated out of a true chance. A life that he had wanted, a life of true love. And here Gabriel was, consorting with a paramour of his own. Adrien likely wouldn’t have even been that mad about his father’s (rather ridiculous in Adrien’s opinion) vow about never loving another woman as he had loved Adrien’s mother had it not come on the tail end of this diatribe about morality and the Agreste reputation.

Adrien himself was waiting in the drawing room for his father, who was uncharacteristically sleeping in. Gee, Adrien wondered what might have brought  _ that _ on. Gabriel eventually entered the room, dressed distinctly more casual than normal, with a smoking jacket over a basic shirt and pants. Adrien stood up to greet his father, and couldn’t help but notice the more relaxed air the man had around him. And… that was a line of thought he really didn’t want to go down.

“Adrien,” Gabriel nodded as they both took a seat, “What brings you here so early in the morning?”

“Well I attended last night’s ball as I’m sure you’re already aware,” Adrien began. His father said nothing as he packed in a pipe and lit up, quiet and contemplative, “And while there I heard something incredibly interesting.”

“What?” Gabriel asked with disinterest more feigned than genuine, “Did that artist boy finally propose to Miss Bourgeois?”

“I- how did you know about that?” Adrien had thought the pair had done marvelous at keeping a low profile all things considered.

“I was once a man in love, you know,” Gabriel replied, “I know what it looks like.”

“ _ Was _ ?” Adrien pressed.

“Whatever rumors may have circled back to you, I did love your mother very much,” Gabriel replied.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Adrien nodded, “Because I’ve heard tale that you were also at the ball, with a mysterious new lady friend.”

“I’m not surprised since it’s likely the first ball I’ve attended in years escorting someone.”

“Who is she?”

“A mademoiselle Nathalie Sancoeur,” Gabriel answered easily.

“Sancoeur eh?” Adrien raised a brow, “I’ve never heard of that name before.”

“I’m not surprised,” Gabriel replied, “They fled the noble life during the beginning of the revolution and have only just now began to make their way back to Parisian society.”

“I’m impressed,” Adrien said quietly, “Not a single tell at all. But then, you’ve always been incredibly impassive.”

“What are you talking about Adrien?”

“I know, Father,” Adrien narrowed his eyes, “Nathalie isn’t nobility. She’s from Madame Tsurugi’s, and you were paying her for information about Ladybug. It’s because of you that she left, isn’t it?”

“Now Adrien-” Gabriel began.

“I can’t believe you!” Adrien shouted, standing up in his fury, “You knew I cared for her and yet you went on this entire diatribe about not sullying the Agreste name by consorting with a whore and yet you’ve gone and done the exact same thing! I  _ loved _ Ladybug, and you ran her out of town.”

“Allow me to ask you one thing, Adrien,” Gabriel said softly, “If I were to run her out of town, I would have first and foremost given her enough money to get somewhere. Is that really the type of woman who would have loved you?”

“So you admit it?” Adrien pressed.

“I won’t,” Gabriel rebutted, “Because I didn’t. It’s true, I paid one of Madame’s most prolific courtesans for her time and information. And do you really want to know what I got out of it? Maddening frustration, and a challenge to my wit I haven’t had in years. But I never learned anything about Ladybug that was enough to even  _ identify _ her, let alone threaten her. If that woman left, she did it of her own volition, and not because I had anything to do with it.”

“Your father’s right, Adrien,” a third voice broke in. Nathalie, more dressed than compared with his father (though not by much) hesitantly floated in the doorway, “Ladybug, she was… a lot like Marinette. She was a daughter to me, I couldn’t just…” she sighed, “Ladybug left because a wealthy young gentleman gave her an opportunity to leave that life. Wouldn’t you have done the same for her?”

“I would, I wanted to,” Adrien admitted sullenly, and perhaps a bit broken hearted.

“For what it’s worth,” Nathalie took his chin and tilted his face up to meet her own, “She always thought highly of you.”

“I’m glad,” Adrien gave a weak smile. Nathalie dropped her hand and went to stand at his father’s side, “Now, care to tell me what the story is between you two?”

And now it was the older adults’ turn to look uncomfortable. Nathalie, despite how she tried to hide it, was nursing a delicate blush on her cheeks. Gabriel, for his part, refused to meet his son’s eyes.

“Do I want to know?” Adrien asked.

“We,” Nathalie paused and looked over at his father, “We’re seeing how things go at the moment.”

“And what are you going to do about Madame Tsurugi?” Adrien asked.

“Why are you worried about that?” Gabriel asked.

“Madame, she… Ladybug told me the circumstances that involved her… beginning,” Adrien offered lamely.

“You mean you’re worried Madame won’t let me go, is that it?” Nathalie asked.

“I suppose you could say that,” Adrien’s face was bright red. He wasn’t at all comfortable with this talk. And he severely regretted taking the conversation in this direction.

“I wouldn’t,” Nathalie replied, “Madame isn’t particular about who goes and who stays. There’s always someone willing to move up their standing within that world. In that regard it isn’t much different from your world.”

“I see,” Adrien stood and nodded to them, “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”

“Where are you going?” one of the adults asked as he made to leave the room.

“I… I need some time to think,” was Adrien’s reply.

MLB

Kagami had been dropped off at Adrien’s townhouse that afternoon, leaving Luka to wander about Paris aimlessly. That kiss had been a mistake. Both of them had. Because now he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Which was stupid. She was like any other woman was she not? Yes, she fancied herself a fencer. Yes, she preferred a bloody color which highlighted the fine china quality of her skin.

He was losing it. He had to be, if he was drawing metaphors about a woman’s skin. He was no Petrarch, or Shakespeare, he wasn’t a poet. He had no claims nor aims to be one. And this little slip of a girls was throwing a wrench into all of this. For the first time, Luka began to wish he  _ was _ good with words. With flowery metaphors. He wanted to commit Kagami’s visage to pen and paper. The best that he could do even now though was think of her and hear the melodies she produced within him.

So preoccupied was he, as he wandered, that he failed to recognize he was being tailed. He passed by an alley, which he was subsequently dragged into, then bound, gagged, and blindfolded before being carted off. When he was released it was to find himself on the deck of a relatively large ship a few miles down on the Seine. He knew without even needing to look around that the Gendarmes were clueless if they hadn’t flagged down this vessel. Then again, they tended not to recognize the unmarked vessels of the Pirate King.

Seems Luka had been kidnapped. At the very least that was his thought as he saw several of the crewmembers with their weapons drawn. They jerked their thumbs in the direction of the captain’s cabin, silently indicating which way he should go. Luka got to his feet and silently walked, not needing to adjust to the gentle sway of the ship as it bobbed up and down on the water. The cabin was lit by candles, casting warm shadows on the room. A sumptuous feast was set out, and the captain of the vessel looked out over the window. He could tell right away who they were by their dress. Surprising, yet unsurprising. The Pirate King would never have been suspected to leave their Flagship Libertée.

Luka sighed, “You know, most people send letters to let their family know they’re back in town, not kidnap them  _ mother _ .”

His mother, Anarka Couffaine the Pirate King, turned with a wide and rambunctious grin on her weatherworn face, “Aye,” she agreed, “But where be the fun in that me little scalawag?”

“I would have come either way,” Luka reasoned, “But I appreciate the offer of dinner. Is Juleka around?”

“Aye, she’ll be in in a few moments,” Anarka agreed, “But, I’ve heard a great deal from my permanent landlubbers, what’s this about a young lady in scarlet hue who seems to have gotten the best of you?”

“What?” Luka sputtered, turning bright pink, “What are you talking about?”

“A young lady, in red, you’ve been around her a lot lately,” Anarka replied, “Tell me about this fine wench who’s turned your eye.”

“She hasn’t turned my head,” Luka muttered, looking at the floorboards.

“Is that why you were composing love songs when you got snagged?” Juleka asked as she entered the cabin.

“I was not!” Luka protested.

“Brother, I know you,” Juleka lightly teased, “I know when you’re composing love or not.” she sat at the table, “Let’s eat and you can tell us all about her.”

MLB

“So, what do you think?” Luka asked as he pushed his food around on his plate with his fork. He had explained the entire circumstances behind his meeting and subsequent acquaintanceship with Miss Kagami Tsurugi. Leaving out, of course, the heated kisses they had shared. His family might have been a band of planets but he would get the, “we raised you better than that,” speech.

“She sounds too good for you,” Juleka said, “And if she’s really as amazing as you make her sound she’ll leave you for someone better.”

“Oh hush,” Juleka laughed, “You know she’s just teasing Luka. so, when do we get to meet her?”

“Meet her?” Luka nearly choked on the port he’d been drinking.

“Surely we should if this is the lady who’s plundered your heart me boy,”

“He won’t do it,” Juleka continue her sibling rag, “He doesn’t have the brash.”

“Speaking of which sister,” Luka shot her a pointed glance, “How are things going with Rose? Have you confessed  _ your _ feelings to  _ her _ yet?”

Juleka sat and stared at her place, tight lipped and flushed as she fidgeted.

Anarka laughed, “And what about you? Do ye like her?”

“I,” Luka sighed, “She… why are you asking me about this anyways?”

“I want to be involved in me son’s life, is that so wrong?”

“You wouldn’t risk coming this far inland if it wasn’t important Maman,” Luka replied quietly.

Anarka studied him for a few moments and then sighed. She rose and with a single gesture dismissed Juleka. The two of them were alone in the cabin and Anarka moved about in a manner meant to convey ease but belied the tension she kept well hidden from her crew.

“Luka,” she began, sighing again, “I’m… I’ve lived a long life, seen a good bit of the world, fantastical sights I never thought I would see. I met a wonderful man, had two lovely children with him and count myself blessed for every day the gods gave me with him, and with you two. But, ye can’t deny the lines you see on my face. Truth is, I’m not getting any younger. But when I go, the empire will crumble. Ye know our laws, if I don’t have an heir it’ll all fall to ruin again.”

Luka looked at her, “You can’t be serious,”

“Surely ye’ve felt it, heard the sea’s call. It’s in yer blood boyo, ye can’t deny that.”

“You think I want to be the Pirate King?”

“No,” she said quietly, “But I know you’re worthy of it.”

“Why can’t Juleka do it?”

“Boyo, ye know as well as I do that our bonny Jewel ain’t cut out for manning what I man. But you  _ are _ . Do ye not miss it? Or is a certain scarlet lady what keeps yer sights on land?”

“I,” Luka paused, “I don’t know.”

“Do ye want her?” Anarka asked, “Answer that not for me, but for yourself lad.  Do ye need a moment?”

“It wouldn’t matter if I wanted her or not,” Luka shook his head, “She isn’t meant for a pirate’s life. Her mother has done so much to make sure she ends up in polite society. I could never ask her to give that up for a life on the run.”

“I wouldn’t be sellin’ the red lady short like that boyo,” Anarka smiled, “And besides, never forget that you’re a pirate at heart, and what does a pirate do?”

Luka looked at his mother and couldn’t help his own smile as he remembered the Pirate’s motto, “A pirate takes what they want.”

MLB

Kagami arrived later that afternoon, which was a true boon to Marinette. She needed someone from her old life to use as a rock in the midst of this tempest. Kagami instantly noticed something was off when she arrived. There was something changed about Marinette, as though she’d eaten from the tree of knowledge and had some life altering revelation. Kagami wanted to ask, wanted to pry if only to make her friend feel better, but knew better. Marinette could be as stubborn as an ox, and if she felt cornered the last thing she would do was open up. Never mind the fact that she was a terrible liar.

They sat down to afternoon tea, which Marinette mindlessly stirred within her cup. Her eyes looked distant and far away and her posture seemed more of an ingrained thing than something natural.

“Marinette?” Kagami asked gently.

“I can’t believe it,” Marinette said, “Can you?”

“Can I believe what?”

“They were the same, the whole time they were the same. I’ve been such a fool.”

“Marinette?” Kagami tilted her head at her friend, “What are you talking about?”

“So you know Chat,” Marinette began, “Who began visiting Ladybug after Lord Adrien Agreste initiated her?”

“Yes, of course,”

“Well, turns out Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste are the same person.”

“What?” Kagami gasped in faux shock, “Do tell.”

“They are,” Marinette affirmed, “This whole time I’ve been rejecting the man I fancied for the man I fancied. I’m starting to think Madame’s false name policy is doing more harm than good.”

“How did you find out?” Kagami hadn’t seen her friend since last night, nor Luka until he’d arrived to escort her to Adrien’s townhouse, so it couldn’t have been either of them. And according to Luka the servants had sworn never to say a word about it.

“Alya,” Marinette sighed, “She stopped by here, wanting to speak with him I guess. She was surprised to see me here, I guess because she didn’t know who I had moved in with. Neither did I. We talked, and just before she left she asked me what I was doing living in Adrien Agreste’s house. I don’t know what I should do now.”

“Well, what do you  _ want _ to do?” Kagami asked her.

“I, I want to tell him,” Marinette said, “But it’ll come out so wrong. I’m afraid. I liked Chat on his own; he was one of my closest friends. But he knows I had feelings for Adrien. I’m just worried that he’ll think I’m only interested in him because I found out.”

“Are you?”

“It would be so easy to say I was,” Marinette sighed, “But ever since the night I confessed that I like Adrien, I’ve felt closer and closer to Chat, and I found myself liking him more and more. Wondering if I should have told him I was Ladybug long before all of this. You weren’t there, Kagami. The night he found out Ladybug was gone, he was heartbroken, he was inconsolable. I wanted to tell him then, but I was scared.”

Kagami sat and listened to these worries of her friend with a sage expression on her face, “Well,” she said once Marinette had managed to stop fretting for a moment, “The way I see it there’s only one thing you can do.”

“What’s that?”

“Ladybug is what got you into this mess, maybe she should be the one who gets you out.”

Marinette’s eyes flew to Kagami’s, “You can’t mean-”

“I do, and I think you should do it.”

Marinette looked pensive a moment, then gave a jerk of a nod, “Alright,” she decided, “I’ll do it.”

MLB

Alya looked at her notebook and the crumpled pages that surrounded it and let out a groan of frustration. Why was this so hard? The truth should have been easy to put to paper. Perhaps the problem was that the truth wasn’t something people much cared about these days. What they wanted was something scandalous, something titillating, something they could wag their tongues about.

And truth be told, what she had originally written  _ was _ the truth. The most the editors had done was to twist and rearrange her truths in order to make for a more compelling read. There were certain facts that came with the lifestyle that even Marinette would be hard pressed to deny. It was, overall, a good piece of journalism. But it would forever be a stain for Alya, because it had likely cost her the one she cared for most. Even her parents had thought badly of it, not because of the subject matter, but because they knew this was likely to hurt people who relied on that world for their livelihood.

Alya sighed, she wished there was a way she could go back in time and tell herself to let the article hang. To elope with Nino while he still loved her. To tell him the truth of why she was there but explain that she loved  _ him _ not the prestige or the thrill of the story. But he wouldn’t even see her anymore. She had made an irreparable mistake.

In frustration she picked up her notebook and heaved it against the wall, watching it land with a slightly satisfying thump before falling in a heap on the floor. Papers scattered everywhere. Alya felt her irritation quiet just a little bit. But it wasn’t enough. Knowing she shouldn’t leave a mess to grow she began picking up the book and straightening out the papers. And that was when a keepsake she had forgotten she’d stashed in there was rediscovered.

It was a poem, one Nino had written for her. To her, in the form of a letter. One he had once asked her for an answer to. Well, if there was one thing Alya could do, it was write. And perhaps if he wouldn’t listen to  _ her _ he, and the rest of Paris, could listen to her  _ words _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, was it worth the wait? Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone


	15. It All Comes Together, Or it All Falls Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! We're here you guys, we're finally here! I have been waiting for this chapter since I started writing this story and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I hope you will.

Chat returned home in less than a stellar mood. He was still upset with his father’s hypocrisy concerning Ladybug. It was late in the evening, he had needed to clear his head after meeting with Marinette’s sibling figure, and allegedly, Ladybug’s. He couldn’t believe his father had paid for information, trying to get rid of Ladybug. Moreso though, he couldn’t believe that Nathalie hadn’t given him anything. Most people were swayed either by the Agreste reputation or by the money itself. Combine both though? Nathalie was a strong woman, that was a fact which could not be denied.

But what he wanted right now was a sturdy glass of port and Marinette’s calm, quiet presence to soothe the storm within his heart. He opened the door to find Plagg waiting for him.

“What is it Plagg?” he asked, usually the butler did not so eagerly anticipate his arrival home. Especially not as of late, when being Chat Noir was more a burden than a freedom. Maybe he should tell Marinette the truth. Maybe later, after she was married.

“Miss Marinette’s prepared a surprise for you upstairs,” Plagg replied, sounding stiff but looking for all the world like he wanted to laugh. The contrast was, jarring to say the least.

“What kind of surprise?” Chat pressed.

“I’m not at liberty to say,” Plagg replied, “Would you like to relax before you head up? Perhaps I can fix you a drink?”

“I’d need more than a single drink after everything I’ve gone through today,” Chat groaned, making his way into the study, “A whole bottle wouldn’t be enough.”

“Might I suggest you limit yourself to one glass for now?” Plagg asked, “I think you’ll want to be relatively sober for this.”

“Plagg, I  _ am _ sober,” Chat parried, “You drink to achieve the opposite. And why are you so adamant about this surprise of Marinette’s? Has she made me a new personalized cravat or something? It can wait,”

“I doubt it can,” Plagg muttered under his breath.

If she kept waiting the girl’s nerves would likely get the better of her and she’d never go through with this. Plagg had hardly believed she had even  _ considered _ her friend’s words when the plan was explained to them. Tikki had needed to help their little charm get ready for this. Plagg’s task was to corral Adrien upstairs by any means necessary. Except, of course, divulging the plan to his lordship. That didn’t mean of course, he couldn’t say there  _ was _ a plan, just not what it was.

“What did you say?” Chat asked.

“I said,” Plagg quickly covered, “Miss Marinette has been working so hard on this surprise for you and she was so eager to show it to you today. Do you want to upset her by fobbing her off for alcohol? I thought you liked her,”

“I’m not, I mean, I do,” Adrien couldn’t help but blush at the accusation, “She’s a good friend, I would never do anything to hurt her if I could help it.”

“Just a friend?” Plagg raised a skeptical brow, “Doesn’t seem that way to anyone else in this house.”

“Hold your tongue Plagg,” Chat warned, “Else I’ll halt my contract with that cheesemaker, and  _ then _ where will you get your camembert?”

“Not my camembert!” Plagg protested, “Please Adrien, just humor the girl. She’s so nervous about how you’ll react to this, can you at least do it honestly and without alcohol?”

Chat, who had been in the middle of getting a glass and his decanter of whiskey, paused. He thought a moment, then with a sigh set the bottle down.

“Alright,” he replied, “Maybe talking things over with her will make me feel better than whiskey anyways. At the very least, the things she makes are top quality.”

He slowly, slowly exited the study and went for the stairs. Plagg trailed behind him, making sure the young nobleman didn’t veer off course. When he reached Marinette’s room Plagg motioned for Chat to open the door. The moment he stepped inside, Plagg shut it behind him, holding it tight to prevent escape. There was really no way of knowing how he would take this, it could go well, it could go horribly wrong. And that had been something that he had warned Marinette of when she resolved to go through with it. Tikki, ever the optimist, had dismissed the notion. He loved Tikki dearly, and her optimism was often a bright spot in his otherwise cynical world. But the problem was that they were opposites, which meant that while Tikki was hopeful, she could be a tad unrealistic. Plagg himself, on the other hand, was cynical, but his cynicism was grounded in the reality he saw, the lowest points of humanity.

Chat looked around Marinette’s room. There was a fire going to ward off the evening chill, even as the windows remained open for air. Marinette’s sewing chair was turned towards the mantle, facing away from him. But that didn’t mean the room was unoccupied, by any stretch of the imagination. He could see the slippered feet resting from the space beneath the chair.

“Hello?” he called out to her, “I’m here, what is it you wanted to show me?”

There was a pause and then the figure stood up, he saw the soft pink skirts of Marinette’s dress peek around the corner. She’d left her hair unbound for once, it looked good on her, Chat noted absently. But then her face came into view and Chat’s jaw dropped. 

Her expression was amused at his shock. With a teasing glint in her eyes and a smile playing about her lips she asked, “Did you miss me Kitty?”

MLB

Luka picked up Kagami from Adrien’s house that evening and brought her back around to her mother’s brothel. The carriage ride was quiet, Kagami content to watch the waning scenery pass and fade outside the window. Luka, on the other hand, felt his thoughts were whirling out of control. Maybe his mother’s words had gotten to him, along with the liquor, because though it was an elegantly dressed lady before him, his mind could only see a roguish second in command; with a half opened blouse and tight breeches, barely kept even a modicum of decent by the blood red sash tied around her waist. Resting at her hip, her hand on its pommel, a custom made sword with a dragon serving as the handle. He saw the ship Liberté under his command, under  _ her _ command as she ordered the crews about. But piracy, was that really what he wanted to do with his life? What’s more, was that what she would want to do with  _ hers _ ?

“Luka?” she broke into his thoughts, stirring him from the land of contemplation.

“Hm?” came his still half-distracted reply, “What is it?”

“I,” she fidgeted, “I need to tell you something.”

For a traitorous moment his heart skipped a beat. And then his logic kicked in; no, she wouldn’t have any idea of the thoughts in his head. She was a young lady with great prospects, a world of running from the law at every turn would not suit her.

“What is it,” Luka forced himself to speak after clearing his throat.

“I, well,” she bit her lip, again distracting him. So much so that it took another half a minute to register the rushed out phrase of, “Marinette knows Lord Agreste is Chat Noir!”

“What?” Luka couldn’t believe. And as she had offered no explanation for how Marinette had come to know, he jumped to the most logical of conclusions; Kagami had broken her promise, “Why did you tell her?” he glared at her, “You promised I wouldn’t,”

“I did, I didn’t,” Kagami said, rather confusingly, “I mean, I did promise. And I kept my promise. I didn’t tell her, I didn’t say anything to her.”

“Then how did she find out?” Luka asked.

Kagami explained how Alya had stopped by, likely looking for Nino or for the young lord himself, and had gotten to talking and just before the young lady had left, she had asked Marinette what she was doing in Lord Adrien Agreste’s house. Marinette couldn’t believe it.”

“So what does she plan to do with this knowledge?” Luka asked, “Does she love him now that she knows who he is?”

“I think she liked him long before that,” Kagami replied, “The whole reason she continued to reject Chat Noir was because she fancied herself in love with Adrien Agreste. But Chat was a dear, dear friend to her. I think their meeting at the ball might have helped diminish that infatuation for good. Because Adrien opened up to Ladybug in a way he could never with Marinette. He was vulnerable, and Chat let himself be vulnerable with Marinette.”

“How do you know all of this?” Luka asked.

“Marinette posted letters to me once she moved,” Kagami explained, “I never thought it relevant to tell you, so I never mentioned it.”

“Ah,” Luka nodded, “So does she plan to tell him?”

“That’s what I’m hoping,” Kagami replied, “That’s what we planned. I can only hope her nerves don’t win out. How do you think he’ll react?”

“I think,” Luka stroked his chin, “That depends entirely on how she goes about it. And what mood he is in when he arrives. He went out early this morning to confront his father I believe. And interactions with his father always tend to sour his mood.”

Kagami sighed, “Lovely, this can only go well. I’m sorry, I haven’t even asked about how you spent your afternoon.”

“It’s alright that you haven’t,” Luka quickly replied. To be honest he had preferred she didn’t. Talking about his family, especially with what they had discussed earlier this evening, was not something he wanted to bring up with her.

“No, it’s quite rude,” Kagami shook her head, “And I shall rectify it now, how was your afternoon?”

“It was fine,” Luka replied, trying to keep the terseness out of his tone. He might not have wanted to speak on it, but he wasn’t going to be rude.

“What did you do?”

“I met with some people I know.”

“Was it Nino?”

“No,”

“Then who?”

Luka sighed, realizing that she would be irrepressible until she got her answers, “My family,”

“What did you do with your family?”

“We had dinner and talked, they were visiting Paris.”

“Visiting?” Kagami tilted her head at him, “They don’t live here?”

“My ah, mother manages a good deal of businesses overseas,” Luka scratched the back of his head, “And my sister helps her out.”

“What does she do?”

“A-acquisition, and trade,” Luka stammared. It had been quite some time since anyone had asked about his family, he’d nearly stumbled over the lie he’d been trained to tell to avoid trouble.

“And you said you ate dinner with them?”

“Yes,”

“Oh,” she replied, and was it merely wishful thinking on his part or did she sound disappointed? “So I suppose an invitation to dinner wouldn’t appeal to you?”

“Are you inviting me?” he asked.

“My mother has wanted to thank the one responsible for my successful debut into society, but if you’ve already eaten…”

“I can stop by for a drink and an introduction, if you like,”

Kagami looked directly at him and smiled, “I would, very much so.”

Luka felt his heart skip a beat. Why? Why was he feeling like this? One kiss was not cause for this much change in him. He’d kissed, and bedded, a good number of women before this one came into his life. Was she not like any other? What was it about her that made her so different?

Maybe, it was the fact that she made him take notice. For all he knew she could have been just like all those other girls when it came down to it. He had just never cared enough to notice, nor had he stayed in any one place long enough. He was a pirate, a rover by nature. As it was typically staying in Paris usually left him chafing within weeks. But between Adrien and Nino’s lovesickness, Luka had barely had time to feel stifled. And now, now he felt leaving would be the worst thing he could do.

They arrived at the brothel before Luka could finish going through his thoughts. Kagami urged him to wait while she relayed the necessary information to her mother. The cook, she claimed, always made too much, but an extra setting would need to be placed for him.

“Are you ready?” she asked when she returned.

“If I can handle the firebrand you are, an old dragon shouldn’t be too much of a challenge,” he replied, tone light with levity. Kagami swatted at him lightly, but she couldn’t disguise the small smile his words had elicited from her.

MLB

Marinette felt her heart pound as she heard the sounds of Chat, no Adrien, no…  _ Chatdrien _ entering the townhouse. And soon, too soon, he was coming up the stairs. The door opened, he entered, and immediately she heard it shut. It took all her strength not to simply burst out and reveal the whole charade. As it was, her hands tightened intensely upon the armrests. It had been so difficult, to plan everything. Not just because it had to be done in so short a time, but because it was hard to think of a way to completely convey both sides of her personality to him. And she wanted to have help because she wasn’t certain she’d be brave enough to say the words.

Ladybug’s mask that he’d given her was an absolute no brainer. Of course she’d wear it. As well as the earrings he’d given Marinette that he’d wanted to give his lady. Marinette never took them out. But what could she wear? Thanks to Chat she had plenty of fine gowns that the modiste had crafted for her. But anyone could have commissioned such creations, and while they were all unique, she felt she’d be asking too much of him to try and distinguish any of those ornate gowns as hers. So, in the end, she’d gone with the simple pink dress she’d made from the bolt of fabric he’d given her so long ago. And instead of leaving her hair in the pigtails he was so accustomed to seeing on Marinette, she let it down, like the night he had come crying because Ladybug was gone. Except, she really wasn’t, just like Adrien hadn’t really left her after that first night as Ladybug. Marinette and Ladybug, two sides of the same coin, both personalities of one girl.

She nearly melted when she heard him speak, “Hello? I’m here, what is it you wanted to show me?”

Her heart thundered within her ribcage as she slowly stood up. Keeping her face mostly angled to the fire she stepped around the chair, only facing him when she couldn’t avoid it anymore. His jaw dropped open upon seeing her. She couldn’t help but find his expression amusing. It certainly soothed her anxious nerves, just a bit.

Drawing strength she began, “Did you miss me Kitty?”

She watched him swallow his tongue as he tried to speak, “Ladybug?” he sounded dazed, as though he couldn’t believe this was real, “What are you- How are you-  _ Why _ are you here?”

“I,” she took a deep breath, “I know.” the words felt like a weight being lifted. She’d wanted to tell him as much all day, “I know who you are.”

She saw yet again the visceral effect her words had on him, and it was not the reaction she was hoping for. “Oh,” he replied, visibly drooping, “I should have guessed. You’re here, aren’t you?”

“Why are you so upset about this?” she asked. She had been prepared for the possibility but her optimism had been bolstered by Tikki to the point where this hurt.

“Because,” he answered, “I wasn’t good enough for you like this. But now you find out who I am and you think it’s okay to just waltz back here into my life? I was finally getting over you. I had accepted you would never love me. I was happy being friends no matter how much loving you like that hurt me. But then… you found your happiness, and it wasn’t with me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You  _ left _ ,” Chat reminded her, “You found some handsome, wealthy man and moved in with him. I was under the impression he was the one you were in love with or else, why would you go with him? Did Marinette put you up to this? I don’t want you if you only want a part of me, and you made it more than clear Chat wasn’t a viable romantic interest.”

“Chat I,” Marinette felt very much at a loss for words. Desperate to try and tell him she stepped forward, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and pleading with him to understand the words that remained unspoken in her eyes, “I never went anywhere.”

“So you were at the brothel the whole time?” he shot back, “You lied to me?”

“Chat no!” she shook her head. She grabbed his face between her hands and forced him to look directly at her, “Chat, I’ve been here, the whole time. And maybe I should have told you before now. I probably should have told you that night but… I just wanted to leave that part of me behind. Please, look at me,” she brushed some hair behind her ear, revealing the one of a kind earrings he had given Marinette, “Chat, Adrien.. it’s me.”

For a moment he was tempted to suspect that Marinette had given those earrings to her. But just as quickly he dismissed the notion. Despite them not originally being intended for her, Marinette loved those earrings to no end. She never took them out. And now that he thought about it, the dress she was wearing; it was Marinette’s dress. And he knew for a fact that it had been built to her measurements and no one else’s. She had been incredibly frugal with the fabric, but in the end there just hadn’t been enough to repeat the dress for anyone. It was one of a kind, just like the earrings, just like her. Which could only mean one thing…

“Marinette?” he gasped softly.

Tears were shining in her eyes as she took one of his hands and placed it at the edge of her mask. Likewise she did the same with his. With a silent count of three they slowly removed the barriers from each other’s true identities. They gasped again when the reality of who they were hit them. It was one thing to be told someone’s double identity, it was quite another to see it in person. The masks fell to the floor as their grips went limp, unneeded and unheeded for now. They embraced, tightly clinging to one another. And then, they cried. Tears of joy, because the people they had believed themselves to be in love with, and the people they had begun to fall in love with, they were one and the same.

Perhaps it was the overwhelming emotions which drove their next actions, but it was then they kissed. They clawed and clung to one another, but not in a fevered, desperate, lustful way. No, this was a passion borne out of true happiness, and chaste love. Though, the longer they kissed, the less so it remained. Reluctantly, they broke apart, though they remained embracing.

“I…” Marinette tried to say, through her heavy breathing and crimson stained cheeks, “I want you to know that I didn’t mean to find out. And, and I didn’t fall for you just because I knew. If I’m being perfectly honest, I started to hold a tendre for Chat a long time ago. I was just too stubborn to realize it.”

Adrien chuckled, “I believe the same could be said for me. I was so hung up on Ladybug, but the more time I spent with you, the more I liked you. I was so worried about the ball last night, how you might react to meeting Adrien-”

“What? After I accidentally confessed I liked you already?” Marinette chuckled.

“So that time I helped you…”

“It was my first night as Ladybug,” Marinette replied, “I was so nervous, but you were so gentle and kind. I was raised in a place where men pay, take their pleasure, and leave. And that was going to be my life. Until you came along. You protected my virtue at a great cost to your finances. And then, you saved my life, and took me in. Add in to the night you wept with me and well,” she shrugged, “It’s pretty hard for a girl to resist.”

He laughed then, loud and from the soul. He’d never felt so happy before in his entire life, “I never wanted to share my bed with anyone I didn’t love.”

“And now?”

She put on a brave face but he could read her too well now. She was just as nervous as she had been the night they had first met.

“We wait,” he answered.

Marinette sagged with relief, “Oh thank goodness,” she said, “I like you Adrien. Really, I do. But I want to get to know you, with and without the mask before we go that far.”

“Agreed,” he placed a kiss on her brow, “But would you object to a long engagement while we work that part out?”

She blushed, “So certain already?”

“More than I would have been about anyone else,” he replied.

Her grin could have split her face it was so wide. She cupped her hands over her mouth, but couldn’t give him an answer. Well, at least he got a nod for his efforts.

“What’s the matter?” he teased, “Chat got your tongue?”

“Not yet,” she quipped, “Should we remedy that?”

He chuckled, “You cheeky little minx.”

“You love it,”

“Yes,” he replied, “I do.”

MLB

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Adrien asked the next morning.

“He’s your father,” Marinette reminded him, “And look at how you turned out. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Well, you have one thing going for you,” Adrien said.

“Oh?” Marinette asked, “And what’s that?”

“He knows, about Ladybug at least,”

“You told him already?”

“Well, he doesn’t know that  _ you’re _ Ladybug,” Adrien clarified, “But he knows of Ladybug’s existence. And considering how virtuous you are he can’t find fault with you.”

“And if he does?”

“Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t be casting stones,” Adrien muttered under his breath. Marinette raised a brow to that but otherwise said nothing.

They arrived at Gabriel’s house and were escorted in. Adrien asked that Nooroo announce their presence to Gabriel  _ and _ his guest, which left Marinette blinking in confusion.

“If your father has a guest, why do you think it important they be here for this?” she asked as they sat down in the parlor.

“Because he’s usually calmer when there are witnesses around,” Adrien reasoned, “And besides, I think you’ll find this person’s presence comforting.”

When Gabriel entered the room Marinette stiffened, self-conscious. But the moment Nathalie joined him Marinette nearly squealed with delight. Once again reunited the women embraced. And then the ceaseless chatter started. But they were speaking so fast the men could do nothing more than indulge it for a few moments. At last, Gabriel cleared his throat,

“Would you mind if we got down to introductions?” he asked, directing the question to everyone but focusing his gaze on Nathalie specifically.

Nathalie turned to Marinette, the unspoken question in her eyes. Marinette nodded, “You can tell him,” she said.

Placing one arm around Marinette’s shoulder and the other at her arm Nathalie turned to her loved and said, “Gabriel, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl who followed me home to the brothel some odd years ago. Otherwise known as the infamous Ladybug.”

“And,” Adrien added as he came up on Marinette’s other side and slid a protective arm around her waist, “My fianc é e.”

MLB

For whatever reason, Luka felt possessed to call on Kagami that next morning. Dinner had been a pleasant affair, even though he did not eat much. Madame Tsurugi was every bit the stately ex-courtesan he imagined her to be. And, like any good mother, all she wanted was better for her child. Still, while Kagami obviously loved her mother very much, there seemed to be a certain exhaustive standard her mother expected Kagami to live up to which the girl didn’t care for. While Madame was charming and witty and well-spoken, she also had this way of sliding in jabs and moving on before one could truly realize they were insulted. The barbs often didn’t wound until the conversation was already over.

The atmosphere felt almost oppressing in a way because of that. Not that Madame was a bad woman, or a bad mother by any means. Perhaps it was just because Luka had been raised with so much freedom, that this sort of life wrankled at him. Maybe he had just imagined the times he had seen Kagami make a face of discomfort over the table. But he had to be sure, especially after the abrupt parting. Madame had announced that she had a private matter to speak with her daughter about, and that while their visit would have to end Luka was more than welcome to enjoy anyone of the girls that caught his fancy. He was quite certain Madame would not have extended that offer if she had known his only interest lay in her daughter.

Kagami had looked briefly, helplessly at him from over her shoulder as she was escorted from the room. Luka left the brothel and went home for the night. Being the son of the Pirate King had a few perks. Because Anarka wanted a place of her own the few times she went ashore she had multiple houses all over France. Nothing as fancy as those owned by the Agrestes or Lahiffes, but charming and cozy enough in their own right.

The next morning, though, he woke up feeling that he needed to speak with Kagami urgently. So he had made for the brothel. Kagami was in, the girls had said, but she was under strict supervision and was no longer allowed to receive any male guests. That had baffled Luka, so he (somewhat remorsefully) used his charms in order to get himself inside, with the message to be passed on that the young mistress meet him in the back garden. There was a wave of nostalgia that hit him when he saw the site of their long ago duel. Maybe he should challenge her to another one, just to make her happy. She loved her sword, and she loved sword fighting. Luka felt he might do just about anything to erase the looks he had seen last night.

When at last she  _ did _ come out, she hung back in the doorway. This was a Kagami he had never seen before. She was timid, and almost shy. Although, this shyness looked more like she wanted something and was not allowed to go for it.

“Ma dame rogue,” he greeted, “What has brought your mood so low today?”

“Monseigneur,” she stated, polite, cold, not at all the girl he had gotten to know, “I appreciate your visit but circumstances have now arisen where I am in no position to take on meaningless activities.”

Luka looked at her a moment, “Were you fed that line?” he questioned, “It doesn’t sound like you. How about you grab a rapier? We can duel again, would that lift your spirits?”

Her gaze flew to his face for a brief instant. He saw the yearning in her eyes to do exactly that. But just as quickly, her eyes returned to the ground, her hands folded themselves demurely behind her back. She would not look at him as she answered, “No, I no longer have any interest in that sort of thing.”

For a moment Luka thought he must have misheard, “What?”

“I… I’m far too busy to engage in such an unladylike activity nowadays,” she elaborated, “Especially with an unattached gentleman of your reputation. I… I have my station to consider.”

Now that  _ definitely _ didn’t sound like Kagami, “I don’t understand,” at the very least, he had thought they were friends. And it wasn’t like her to suddenly turn cold like this. Not on someone she liked. She had to have been put up to this, though for what purpose he couldn’t figure out.

“Please,” she said quietly, taking his arm and leading him back through the slowly stirring house, “You need to leave now. And,” she bit her lip, “And never come back.”

“What?” he said as he was slowly pushed out the door, he managed to turn around and stop her with just one more question on his lips, “Why?”

“Because,” Kagami stared at his feet for one moment more before quickly meeting his eyes as she delivered the killing blow, “I’m getting married.”

The door shut in his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for their kind words and thoughts. I know I don't reply to every single one of them but I want you to know they mean so much to me, I look at them whenever I'm having a bad day. And it's been you guys' support and appreciation that's been keeping this going. So thank you again, and, if you'd like to leave a comment on this installment and let me know what you thought, that'd be much appreciated too. Until next time everyone


	16. One Problem Solved, Another Arisen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure this is my third update this month, I spoil you guys too much. Fair warning, things are going to get a lot more convoluted, this is likely not ending in the next few chapters. Or maybe it is, it depends on how long I make them. Anyways, hope you enjoy this next installment.

It had been hard. So hard, to say that to him. To send him away, and shut the door in his face. Kagami liked him, he was her friend. He was… he was more than that if she was being honest with herself. The strength needed to send him away, she had felt the pangs reverberate within her chest. Her mother had noticed as well, it seemed. Shizuku Tsurugi hadn’t become a successful brothel madame by being anything but observant and shrewd. She knew her daughter would do as she was told, she was rebellious, but obedient in the end. However, she knew her daughter’s little guardian tended to encourage the more rebellious side of her, and that was something that needed to be quashed.

Outward rebellion in a marriage of peers was not to be tolerated. And Kagami needed to learn that. It was a blessing when the Vicomte Kubdel had written to her and asked for her daughter’s hand. It was better than Shizuku might have dreamed. Only one ball of the season and she already had a marriage offer, it was more than most girls got in three seasons. Was the Vicomte overly wealthy? No, not really, the family was an offshoot by some generations of some famous Comte, the forefather of which had made certain that his youngest child would be taken care of should the elder survive to inheritance. The family eventually did whatever they wanted with the money the Comte provided. A good number of Kubdels had invested wisely and saved their money for their offspring to enjoy. They had enough to live comfortably, with a few happy indulgences. But more importantly, they had the prestige of being an old family. Perhaps not as high as the Agreste family, whom had helped to sponsor Kagami’s debut, but enough clout and respectability that her Kagami would be well provided for for the rest of her days.

And as for herself… Shizuku didn’t think she would ever close down the brothel. Not until she died. The brothel was a good source of income, and a good source of blackmail should she ever find herself backed into a corner. The only downside to this otherwise perfect plan? The Couffaine boy had given her a genuine smile, and now Kagami listlessly wandered the halls like some pale, forgotten wraith. Shizuku hated seeing her child like that, but surely Kagami would understand it had all been for the best. Besides, she had hoped her daughter might be wise enough to have seen the specific wording of her request. That Kagami was not to be seen with any man until her wedding. Too many of their clients were married men in and of themselves. Kagami should have known that the sanctity of marriage was a sham among the upper echelons of society. And that she didn’t have to love someone, or even like them, to be married to them. All she had to do was keep her liaisons discreet and pop out a convincing heir and no one would ever be the wiser. Then again, perhaps it was better after all. If Kagami convinced herself she was in love with that scruffy rapscallion, an affair wouldn’t be enough. She might leave her intended for him even after the marriage. That was a scandal no one could survive. Death? Yes. But divorce? The stain would never leave her name, and surely she would realize passion was a lark, bought and sold to the highest bidder. Luka was a passing fancy, but if Kagami threw everything away to be with him, she would be the one left forlorn in the end. And likely, with more than she bargained for in the process.

Kagami hated that she had obeyed. Luka was her friend, and her mother had under some mistaken assumption declared that until she was married she could not meet with him. She’d had to send him away, and tell him. And the ache resounded hollowly within her chest. She wandered the halls of the brothel listlessly, even needing to be steered away when it was time for business, lest a drunken customer mistake her for a worker and become insistent. For two days she continued in this pattern.

For Luka’s part he spent the better part of three days absolutely sloshed. Him and Nino, what a pair they made. But Luka understood how his fellow musician felt now, the utter crushing depression of the loss of someone he cared about. And if Luka felt this bad about a girl he had only recently admitted his feelings for, how terrible must Nino have felt to have found out the same of a girl he’d been in love with. By the fourth day, however, things had changed.

So now, he wandered alone, the others had rallied around their mutual friend. And Luka, in the face of the happiness of Marinette and Adrien, he found he could not give voice to his own heart rending woes. They would know of the circumstances soon enough, Kagami and Marinette were good friends after all. And if not the banns would likely be posted as soon as preparations were underway enough. He wondered where his mother and sister were. Were they still upon the silent ship that sailed along the Seine? Or had they returned to Liberté and set out along the seven seas again? The call of the ocean in conjunction with his heart break was suddenly too strong to bear, or resist. So when he signaled to the boat to let him aboard, he was only slightly surprised with his family’s presence.

“I’ll do it,” was the first thing out of his mouth as soon as the hugs and greetings were finished. He himself had been uncomfortably silent until that point, returning the embraces and kisses but not venturing for a hello of his own. “I’ll take your place mother.”

Anarka and Juleka shared a look, almost as though wondering if he were joking. Luka had loved the sea as a child, and loved traveling. But eventually Anarka had sent both of them ashore because it was so dangerous to keep her most precious treasures out on the open water. Especially because neither had been particularly proficient with a sword at the time. Juleka had returned around the time she was sixteen, claiming that she knew she would never fit in on land. Along with her she had brought a sweet little blonde that honestly, Anarka hadn’t thought would be cut out for the pirate’s life. Rose had certainly proven herself, and as Anarka had watched the two of them together she understood why Juleka had said she belonged on the seas. She never judged, the sea did that for you. And Anarka knew better than anyone that the sea could be more unfair than any human. But the girls had the mettle for it, so why not?

Luka, on the other hand. Well, he had found himself some friends by the time the sea might have called to him once more. He had a life, he had adventure, he had the danger of the sea on the land. And it suited him just fine. But now, now he was returning. And while Anarka felt she should be overjoyed that both her progeny were carrying on hers and her late husband’s footsteps, somehow the victory rang hollow. She wondered why that was. 

MLB

It was admittedly amusing to watch the vein in Gabriel’s forehead veritably pop at the news that the exact situation he had been trying to avoid. However, the more they explained to him, the more he realized how faultlessly virtuous Marinette really was. And by the looks Adrien kept casting towards him, if he said anything, his son would absolutely rebut that he had no place to complain. Which, he didn’t, Gabriel would admit, if only to himself. He had known of the little street rat Adrien had rescued, and wanted to help find a husband. Gabriel had just never expected her to be the self-same “whore” he’d wanted his son to train with. But she wasn’t, not unless he was going to consider Nathalie one, which though technically true, he would never dream of saying of her even in his mind.

However, their engagement seemed a bit sudden, considering it had only been two days since Marinette’s debut. And especially since he had only recently ceased the negotiations between Andre Bourgeois about their children marrying. Well, it had more than the man had ground Gabriel down with his tenacity, he knew it was not something Andre himself necessarily wanted, it was what his little princess wanted. Until she didn’t, apparently. Rumor was that she’d started fraternizing with that up and coming young artist. And right when Gabriel had given in. Such a troublesome child, but Gabriel couldn’t say he wasn’t glad Bourgeois blood wouldn’t be running in his grandchildren’s veins.

But returning his thoughts to Adrien and Marinette only cemented his assumption of things coming along a little too quickly. Yes, he realized that the two had carried a torch for the other and their insistence on secret identities had let this draw on perhaps longer than it should have had they simply  _ talked _ but so quickly? An Agreste? No, no, there was some manner of tradition that had to be upheld.

“I will not oppose this union,” he said without getting up from his seat. He saw the shock evident on Adrien’s face, apparently his son had expected a bit more of a fight, “However,” he held up a hand before they got ahead of themselves and began thanking him, “You will need to wait a standard amount of time to reveal this. And, in the interim, go through the normal process of courting. Marinette will be moved here to stay with me, and Nathalie will come on as her chaperone.”

“But-” Adrien began to argue. But Gabriel held up his hand again.

“No buts Adrien,” he quashed the argument, “You want to marry for love, yes? You’ve already taken care of Miss Dupain-Cheng’s backstory, well and good. But this is not about love, this isn’t even about the honor of the Agreste name. It is about society and how cruel they can be.”

Nathalie left their sides to return to him, she placed a hand along his jaw as she perched on the arm of his chair, “Gabriel, be reasonable,” she murmured, placing a kiss upon the crown of his head.

Automatically he slid an arm around her waist, “I think I may be the only one who is,” he replied without being distracted, no matter how difficult that presented itself as, “This is about the honor of Marinette. If you marry her within a month of her debut, tongues will wag, and they will drag her name through the mud. Do you understand why?” he asked both of them.

Marinette and Adrien blinked blankly at him. Nathalie chuckled, “He means they’ll think Marinette increasing, and that  _ you _ , Adrien, have taken advantage of her since before her coming out. Not only that, but you married her to avoid the scandal, which will cause a scandal in and of itself.”

“What?” Adrien sputtered, face agog in shock and cheeks burning bright red, “I- she- we- I would  _ never _ !”

The adults laughed, “ _ We _ know that,” Nathalie replied, “But  _ they _ don’t, and they won’t care. The papers will pounce on this like a cat on a bloody mouse.”

Marinette gagged, “Thank you for that pleasant visual,”

“Not at all,” Nathalie parried, nuzzling the top of Gabriel’s head. Adrien gagged as well.

“And thank you for making me gag,” the blond added.

“Believe me, if that was my goal it wouldn’t be as benign as this,” Gabriel warned him, a rare, wry smirk playing at his lips. “Now,” he continued, “Mademoiselle Marinette, you should pack up your belongings and move in here with Nathalie and I until further notice. We will put on all appearances of a courting before announcing this engagement to the papers. Begin it immediately, have Plagg help you, and…” he paused for a second before calling, “Nooroo!”

The butler appeared at his master’s side, “Yes, master?” he intoned quietly.

“You’ll be sent back with my son and his ward. She’ll be moving in and I’m quite certain Plagg will need the help. And make certain you’re discreet about it.”

“Of course master,” Nooroo bowed and silently exited the room.

Gabriel turned back to the young adults, “And I’m assuming you’ll need a lady’s maid as well. I have been looking for one for Nathalie, but I’m not certain you should share.”

“Tikki has been acting as my lady’s maid for important events,” Marinette offered, “I’m not sure how well Adrien would take to losing his housekeeper, but I’m not sure I’d get on with anyone else as well as I do her.”

“Fair enough,” Gabriel nodded, “Adrien?”

“Tikki keeps the house clean enough that I’ve been gone for days and come back to it absolutely fine. She manages well enough that most times all she needs to do is check it over. Certainly she’ll have time for that?”

“I believe so, especially with Nathalie acting as your chaperone,” Gabriel nodded again.

“Didn’t Tikki mention her cousin Duusu was looking for work?” Marinette asked Adrien, “I heard she’s been a Lady’s maid for years now.”

Immediately Gabriel’s grip on Nathalie tightened. Enough to be painful, but it didn’t seem deliberate. More an emotional reaction to sudden stimuli.

Nathalie cupped his jaw and turned his face towards her own, “What’s wrong mon papillon?” she murmured.

“Duusu,” Gabriel whispered hoarsely, “Adrien would be too small to remember, but…”

“Does it have to do with Emilie?” Nathalie asked, immediately trying to soothe him by running her fingers through his hair.

“She, we brought her on to train with Emilie,” Gabriel ground out, sounding choked, “Emilie insisted upon it. She served us for several years, and then…”

“It’s alright,” Nathalie soothed, “If you don’t want to hire her back you don’t have to.”

“No,” Gabriel soothed, “I, I think it’s time.” he turned to Marinette and Adrien, “Alright, have Tikki reach out to Duusu and bring her by at some point. We’ll vet her and see if she’s the right fit. Now, let’s get going, the more time we waste the more will need to be done.”

MLB

It was a difficult thing to do discreetly, all things considered. People watched, and those who watched had tongues that wagged. Marinette had often avoided being seen beforehand by exiting through the servants’ door with a wrap over her head. With her plain clothes nobody paid any attention to her, assumed she was just another worker. The problem was, now she had debuted in society, people would take notice, especially in broad daylight. The fine clothes Adrien had commissioned for Marinette were loaded into trunks and placed within a hired hack, which would drop them off at Gabriel’s home along with the lady. Marinette would be moved in through the back. As far as anyone would guess, Gabriel had simply hired a new servant. And since Tikki would be accompanying Marinette, there would be less suspicion cast upon them.

So that’s what happened. Though, Nathalie claimed she needed to check the other room for a moment, leaving Marinette and Adrien to say their farewells in private. She returned and made mention that the wind must have placed Adrien’s cravat in disarray and that he should call on Plagg to fix it before someone speculated otherwise. Then she watched them say goodbye before escorting the disguised Marinette to the back door, where Tikki took over. Nathalie exited through the front door and made a show of slowly stepping into Gabriel’s crested carriage. They would lead the gossips on a merry chase, before depositing her in a park where she would disappear into the crowd. Nathalie herself was in plain, simple clothes. Nothing lavish enough to be recognized, but not dowdy enough to be completely overlooked. Especially as she was getting into the carriage of a lord who’d never had any scandals attached to his name. And, that she was the self-same woman who had been on his arm all night during one of the bigger balls of the burgeoning season.

And so, Marinette found herself living with Nathalie and her fiance’s father. It was awkward, namely because the man was so intimidating. Marinette wasn’t certain of how to approach or speak to him. Dinner had been silent, when left to the two of them to converse, otherwise Nathalie carried it quite well on her own. If she ended up marrying him she would make a great Lady Agreste. Though, given his odd reaction to the mere mention of Duusu, whom Tikki had later explained had worked for the previous Lady Agreste, she wasn’t sure that was where this was headed. At least, not at this moment. How odd, Marinette honestly thought she would not be married before someone managed to win Nathalie over. But unless the two adults eloped she would be the one walking down the aisle first. It was a strange thing to think about, but when she looked back on everything that had happened to her in the past few months it all seemed so bizarre. Surely, this was the sort of thing that made for an engaging story, but typically it was all a writer’s fancy instead of something that had actually happened.

Breakfast was going in a similar fashion, until Nooroo brought his master the morning’s paper. Gabriel quickly flipped through the pages and scoffed, “Good heavens,” he remarked, “Some women have no sense of common decency.”

Nathalie raised a brow at that, “Stones and glass houses, my dear,” she reminded him.

“Even you wouldn’t do this,” he rebutted, throwing down the paper to the page he had been looking at, “Would you look at that?”

What he was indicating was a rather large personal, a letter in fact, addressed to… well the thing about something as public as this was that it was meant to simultaneously be seen and unseen. So there were simply initials instead of names. The content of the letter, however, was what was the scandalous part. It read:

“A Certain Mademoiselle A.C.,

“Would like to offer her sincerest apologies to a Lord N.L., for causing him such distress over the course of several months. She never meant to deceive him and would, his lordship permitting, like to speak with him directly. As he has evaded her at every turn, however, Mademoiselle has been pushed to such extremes as posting a letter in the most popular paper in Paris.

“If Lord N. L. could find it within his heart to forgive her Mademoiselle would consider herself to be the luckiest girl in all of Paris. If his lordship agrees please send a response in to the paper by the end of the week for publication.

“Yours regretfully,

“A.C.”

It wasn’t very long, to be certain. But, it certainly was brash. A young woman taking out space in the paper to publicly announce that not only had she done wrong by a lord, no less, but that she had caused him distress in a way that seemed implicitly romantic, and was asking for his forgiveness in the form of an equally public letter. Marinette knew of only one person in Paris likely enough to do this. Alya. And knowing Alya, she wouldn’t be patient enough to wait for the published response. Which meant…

“Nino,” Marinette worried at her bottom lip, “Oh no.”

Abruptly she stood up from the table, much to the adults’ surprise.

“Where are you going Marinette?” Nathalie asked.

“It’s Nino,” she replied, “I have to go see Nino.”

MLB

Marinette hadn’t been the only one to see the letter in this morning’s paper apparently. Adrien was already on the doorstep when she arrived. She rushed out of the carriage, even while Nathalie and Gabriel exited at a more sedate pace. Racing up the steps, Marinette breathlessly asked,

“How is he?”

“I don’t know,” Adrien replied, “I was just about to knock when you rolled up.”

Marinette gestured for him to get on with it. The door opened to reveal Nino’s valet, Wayzz. He nodded to the young lord, though he looked surprised by the lady. Then again Marinette had never been to Nino’s house. Nino usually came to them.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “Master Lahiffe is currently entertaining someone.”

“That’s what I was worried about,” Adrien muttered as Marinette nodded her agreement with the sentiment.

“Can we still come in and see him?” Marinette pressed, “Please, he might need us.”

Wayzz glanced back into the house, presumably where Nino and his guest were sitting. Then he looked back at them, and nodded as he stepped aside to let them into the house. Adrien immediately rushed in the direction of the parlor and, not knowing the layout, Marinette trailed after him. Nino was sitting across from none other than Alya.

“Alya!” Marinette exclaimed immediately racing to stand between the woman and her friend, “What are you doing here?”

“I already got rebuffed at Adrien’s house earlier,” she tilted her head at the lord, “But luckily your butler was nice enough to give me Nino’s address. I needed to talk to him, I just couldn’t wait.”

“And?” Adrien looked between the two.

“She hasn’t spoken yet,” Nino cut in, “We had just sat down to some morning coffee when you two barged in.”

He gestured to the table, where there was indeed a teapot and two cups, filled with the scalding liquid. The steam was still rising from the cups, so it obviously hadn’t been poured too long ago.  Marinette and Adrien now felt torn between ludicrous and still protective. Still, whatever Alya and Nino had to say, it should be between them. Just as their own revelations had been private and between the two of them. And Gabriel and Nathalie, but that was because they had already known and were tangled up too deeply in everything to go without the knowledge.

“I, um,” Marinette cleared her throat awkwardly, “Should we… do you want us to leave?”

“I’m fine with them staying,” Alya told Nino, “Marinette was just as hurt by all of this as you were. Well, probably not as much, but I haven’t apologized enough to everyone involved.”

“No, no,” Adrien interjected, “Marinette can wait for our apologies. You and Nino should… you should work this out between just you. We’ll, we’ll wait in your study, is that alright Nino?”

“You two, alone in the same room?” Nino raised a brow at them, a teasing light in his eyes, “Don’t tell me you’re smitten after one night friend.”

And then they were reminded that Nino didn’t know they had revealed themselves to the other. He likely thought something else had happened. Good lord, there was so much explaining to be done.

“No, actually,” Gabriel cut in as he and Nathalie entered through the doorway, “We’ll be keeping a close eye on them. Please, handle whatever it is you need to handle.”

“I believe you’re a good person,” Nathalie added to Alya, “You can work through this, you just need to learn the balance between honesty and discretion.” she looked to Marinette, “Come on,”

And suddenly, Nino and Alya were alone. Wayzz had trailed after all the other guests to make certain they were properly attended to. And suddenly, Alya didn’t know what to say. She was known for her eloquence, and her wit; able to parry any blow with ease, never at a loss for words. But now? Now all wit and brevity had fled her. She was afraid, deathly afraid.

Alya was afraid of not being good enough. Of not being able to atone for her sins. She had been so blinded in the beginning, and then… when she had begun to doubt she placed her dreams above the new treasure she’d discovered. She didn’t want to write for simple women’s papers or magazines. She wanted to write for the real papers, the ones that everyone read. The ones that were dominated by exclusively male reporters. When that expose had been published she’d fretted over it. She knew Nino wouldn’t take it well. There had been details, personal ones about his courtship of her, from back when she’d first begun and hadn’t thought of him as anything more than another source of drama and scandal for her story. Alya had fretted to the family jack of all trades, Trixx, whom they weren’t quite sure if they were a boy or a girl. Trixx looked good in both sets of clothes and could perform a masculine activity just as expertly as a female one. Eventually they’d stopped questioning it.

“You need to grovel,” Trixx had replied frankly as they brushed her hair. She was apparently feeling female that day, “You did something wrong and selfish and you ended up hurting someone you care deeply about. So you need to sincerely apologize for what you’ve done. But, you also need to be prepared that your apology won’t be accepted.”

“But-” Alya had begun to protest, only for Trixx to hush her.

“Would you be so forgiving if you were in his place?”

Alya had sighed, but eventually relented, agreeing that she would respect Nino’s decision once all her cards were laid out on the table. Now though, face to face with him, when she’d barely seen him at all in so long, all she wanted was his forgiveness, was for the opportunity to start over. She wanted to be with him, no masks, no secrets, no lies.

“Nino I-” she began, only to stop lamely, tongue feeling thick and heavy in her mouth.

“What?” Nino folded his arms across his chest and gave her a hard stare, “I wasn’t good enough to be with before your little debut in the papers? I wasn’t even good enough to get the truth of who you really were  _ from you _ Alya. I never even got your  _ name _ . And suddenly, once it’s through and published, that’s when you worry about how I might take it? And now, now you’ve done everything you can to get my attention and speak to me. And for what? What do you want? Is it forgiveness? Do you really think you deserve it after what you’ve put me through? I-” he broke eye contact as the remembered pain came flooding back to him, “I thought I was in love with you. I cared, really cared and you made a fool out of me.”

Tears welled in Alya’s eyes, “I don’t want your forgiveness, no,” she paused, “That’s a lie. I do want it, I want it so badly I would do anything. I, I made a mistake Nino. I put my dreams ahead of someone I cared about, knowing they would be hurt. I continued writing that article. And then, when I felt bad, I refused to take the notes and burn them. I gave them to the editor, and when I asked him not to publish them he didn’t listen. I’m not placing the blame on him, any reporter in their right mind wouldn’t let go of a story like that. I blame myself for not doing more. But,” she swallowed through the lump in her throat, “I want a chance to prove to you how sorry I am, that what I want isn’t the prestige of some paper if I have to lie to the people I care about and hurt them in the end.”

Nino stared her down, “If I said the price for my forgiveness was for you to give up writing entirely, would you do it?”

Alya’s heart stopped. Not once had she considered he might ask that of her. And yet, didn’t he have every right to? With how deeply she had hurt him? The choice was still hers to make. She could keep writing, and lose him again, and if she did there would truly be no one to blame but herself. On the other hand, to live life without writing felt like losing her ability to breathe.

“I,” she took a shuddering breath, “I want to say yes,” she admitted, “But I would be lying, to myself and to you. I could never stop, and if I had to in order to be with you I would just end up doing it in secret, using a pseudonym. So, I suppose that is my answer, my choice. I won’t bother you again. I’m sorry Nino,” she wept, “If there were anyone I would be willing to give it up for, it would be you. But I’m just not strong enough.”

As she turned to leave she heard him let out a breath, then he said, “You were incredibly strong just now.”

Alya turned back to him, vision blurry with tears, “What?”

“What you just said…” Nino replied, as he too stood and crossed the distance between them, “Anyone could have simply said yes, or no. It took real strength, real  _ honesty _ , to admit to me what you just did. So, perhaps I am being too generous, but I am willing to give you a second chance. No ultimatum, just honesty, when it counts. Is that alright? I don’t mind a secret or two, every now and then, but something incredibly large, something that might hurt me… it’ll hurt me even more if I find out you’ve deliberately kept it from me.”

“A- are you serious?” Alya’s tone was cautiously hopeful, unable to believe her fortune.

“I mean it Alya,” Nino said, “If you hurt me like that again I will never be able to stand the sight of you. We could never meet again.”

“I understand,” she nodded. He wrapped her up in his arms and the two just stood there holding each other for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually thought, they pulled apart just a little bit and Nino called out, “Alright everyone, you can come out now.”

Adrien and Marinette poked their heads around the corner sheepishly. They filed into the room followed by Gabriel and Nathalie, who did not look remorseful in the slightest.

“Well,” Nino shrugged, “Saves the time of summarizing, though you should know eavesdropping is a terrible habit to pick up.”

The other shrugged helplessly as they took seats around the parlor. Easy conversation flowed through the room until they heard footsteps thundering down from upstairs. Luka stumbled through the hallways, as though drunk. Everyone looked at their host.

“Luka was here drinking with me for the past couple of days,” Nino explained, “Though he never said why. Luka!” he called, “Come here!”

“Can’t,” Luka replied, “I have someone I need to go see.”

“Who?”

“My mother,” he muttered.

“Wait, Luka,” Marinette rushed to his side, “What’s got you all worked up?”

“You,” his eyes were unfocused as they stared at her, “You look just like her.”

“Who?”

“I can’t believe it,” he muttered as he swayed back and forth, “She’s gone, and I never had her to begin with.”

“Who are you talking about?” Marinette pressed.

“My red lady, she’s getting married.” Luka managed to get out before suddenly remembering, “I need to meet my mother. I’ll…” he looked unsure of himself for the first time since Marinette had known him, “I’ll write when I can. Good day.” he stumbled out of the house, door slamming behind him.

Everyone was pondering the cause of Luka’s weird behavior, trying to mull over the words and make sense of them. Marinette, on the other hand, was simply shell shocked. There was only one person she knew who went by the moniker of Red Lady. And, there was only one girl aside from herself Luka had been hanging around as of late. And since the two were one and the same, then that meant,

“Kagami’s getting married?” was her gasped whisper.

MLB

To her mother’s credit, Kagami wasn’t going to be allowed to marry a complete stranger. And even if her mother knew  _ of _ someone, that didn’t mean she knew them. So, Lord Jalil Kubdel had come down during the daytime hours to meet with Kagami, so that the two of them could get to know each other.

Initially, Kagami was prejudiced against him. Who decided that someone they had barely seen once was good enough to be their spouse? They hadn’t even  _ talked _ yet. But, when they did talk, she found him to be a well educated and charming man. Still, something about this whole situation just didn’t sit right with her, and she couldn’t contain her curiosity.

“So,” she began lightly, “Lord Kubdel,”

“Jalil, please,” he insisted, then made a fist and shook it, “I’m sorry, I interrupted you.”

“Very well then, Lor- Jalil,” she corrected, “I must confess I’m quite curious, since this is in fact our first meeting, why me?”

“Why you?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Perhaps I picked too well,” Jalil sighed with a smile, “But, I admire a woman with intelligence, who doesn’t use it under the guise of abject flightiness and stupidity, I mean. Let’s be honest, matches in this world aren’t made for love; you know that right?”

“Of course I do,” Kagami replied. She had been raised preparing for this world, and now all she wanted was to shy away from it.

“Well, as I’m sure you’re aware, I just returned from studying the Coliseum in Rome. Quite beautiful, and a remarkable piece of architecture. I’d love to travel to Egypt someday, but that’s neither here nor there.”

“Did something happen in Rome?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Jalil replied, “I chose you because you have no such delusions of romance. A good number of girls, both in my class and not, they’ve gotten notions of romance in their head. They believe a marriage should be based on it rather than on what the parties can do for one another.”

“And that’s what our arrangement is,” Kagami continued, “A marriage of convenience. I assume I provide money to fund your excursions. And in return you grant my family line status, right?”

He looked out over the rooftops of Paris, eyes distant as though he were seeing farther than he was truly capable of. When he turned back to speak to her again, it was with a wistful, melancholic tone, “Right,” he agreed, “That’s exactly it.”

“You don’t seem to believe in the benefits of such an arrangement,” Kagami noted, “And I think it has something to do with Rome. Am I wrong?”

“You’re far too astute for your own good,” Jalil laughed, “At least our conversations will never be boring. But to answer your question, I met someone in Rome.”

“You fell in love,”

“I did.”

“So why didn’t you marry her?” when he didn’t immediately answer she added, “Or him, I mean… actually that would explain why you didn’t stay with them…”

“Ease your worries,” Jalil calmed her, “It was a woman. And she was wonderful, but-”

“Was she too young?” Kagami asked, “Or too poor?”

“Neither,” Jalil answered, “She was the daughter of a high ranking official within the government. Unfortunately, I’m just a mere Vicomte. And Italy is expensive, Rome even more so. I couldn’t stay, and she couldn’t go.”

“Couldn’t, or wouldn’t?”

“Couldn’t,” Jalil clarified, “All her wealth, it’s controlled by her father. A man who’s determined to tie his line to nothing less than a duc, of any nationality. The Kubdels get by with help from our relatives, but if I stayed it would have been gone sooner than later.”

“So why come here?” Kagami pressed, “Why enter into this arrangement when you don’t even love me?”

“I would need money, to go back to Italy,” Jalil answered, “And a wife who doesn’t care enough for me to be offended if I spend time with the one person I do.”

“So you want to use me for my money,” Kagami clarified.

“Just as much as you’re using me for my status,” Jalil parried, “Neither one of us is the hero in this. But we can make the best of it if we try. I don’t care about you providing me an heir, you can be with someone you truly love. So long as you keep it discreet it won’t matter anyway.”

“That,” Kagami shook her head in disbelief, “That isn’t a marriage at all, it’s not even a friendship. It’s nothing,”

“No,” Jaili agreed, “But it’s what your mother wants. Are you going to back down and disappoint her?”

Kagami felt a surge of tradition course through her veins. To disappoint her mother would be to bring dishonor to her family. Her family believed in death before dishonor. But Kagami was selfish enough to want to live. So truly there was no choice, was there?

Kagami opened her mouth, giving her answer to his question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. I really appreciate your honest feedback. Until next time everyone


	17. The World We were Meant For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which several characters face the consequences of the worlds they were raised for, and the worlds their hearts yearn for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter than usual, but updates are going to be a bit more sporadic since the semester's workload is picking up and I need to keep my grades up. Sorry guys, hope this can tide you over until I can write the next one. And look at me, finally adding in some proper Chlonath, ironically enough, I am posting this chapter the night before the upcoming Queen's Battle arc. Go figure, enjoy everyone!

“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” that was the first thing Kagami had been greeted with when Marinette came to call a short while later.

“Wow,” she remarked drily, “Hello Kagami, how are you Kagami? I hope you’ve been well, Kagami. Oh, well thank you Marinette, it has only been two days since we last spoke, tell me, how did everything work out with your young lord?”

“We don’t have time for idle pleasantries right now,” Marinette declared as she strode into Kagami’s room, “Why are you getting married? And, more importantly, why aren’t you getting married to Luka?”

“I-” Kagami paused, “Wait, what?”

“Why. Aren’t you. Marrying. Luka?” Marinette repeated slowly.

“Why on earth do you think I would ever be marrying Luka?” Kagami asked.

“Because you’re head over heels for him and everyone knows it?” Marinette replied as though it were obvious. Maybe it was to her, but that was only because they’d known each other so long.

“I am not,” Kagami protested, “At least, I don’t think I am. We… we never got far enough together to really see what there was, or might have been.”

“So why not find out?” Marinette asked.

“I’m engaged now,” Kagami explained, “I can’t. Mother forbid me from meeting with any man who isn’t my fiance.”

“Since when has that stopped you from doing something you really want?” Marinette asked, “You really like Luka, I know you do. Why are you even getting engaged this quickly? Weren’t you with him the whole night of the ball? Who could have possibly seen you with Luka and thought; yes, yes, that’s the girl I’m going to marry- the one with a tenacious bodyguard hanging around her?”

“One Vicomte Kubdel,” Kagami replied.

“I think I’ve heard of him,” Marinette replied, “Didn’t he just come back from abroad?”

“Italy,” Kagami replied, “He was working with Ambassador Rossi and his daughter to try and spread awareness about the need to preserve the Colosseum and other historic buildings on the peninsula.”

“Ah,” Marinette said, “so, why has he suddenly decided you're the one?”

“I'm not,” Kagami sighed, “He’s marrying me for money. I'm marrying him for the title. End of story, just as I always imagined it might happen.”

“You're marrying him and he doesn't even love you!” Marinette exclaimed, “Why?”

“He’s in love with someone else.”

“Who?”

“You know Ambassador Rossi?” Kagami asked.

“You can’t mean to say that the Vicomte, he… he shops around the corner?”

“What? No,” Kagami shook her head, “Jalil’s in love with his daughter. But he can't afford to stay there, and she couldn't leave. So here we are.”

Marinette looked at her friend a moment before replying, “That’s dumb.”

“What?”

“That’s. Dumb.” Marinette repeated slowly, “If he doesn’t love you than he has no right marrying you. Using you for your fortune, that’s despicable.”

“At least he was honest about it,” Kagami shrugged, “Honestly Marinette, I was raised that this was the way my life would be. It would have been worse for everyone if he’d pretended to care, made an effort to woo me. I’d rather be disappointed now than heartbroken later.”

“You shouldn’t have to be either,” Marinette insisted, “If you like Luka, you should be able to be with him.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kagami shook her head, “I can’t disappoint mother, not in this.”

MLB

“I can’t believe Kagami’s getting married,” Marinette sat, staring at her hands, “And I can’t convince her not to go through with it.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” Nathalie said as she idly worked on some sewing, “Kagami has chosen to do as her mother wishes.”

“But it’s not fair,” Marinette protested, “Alya and Nino got their happy endings, you’ve got yours, I’m getting mine. Why can’t Kagami get hers?”

“You’re right,” Nathalie agreed as she set the material to the side, “It’s not fair, but that’s simply the way it is.”

“Luka has to know about this,” Marinette decided, “At the very least he needs to know that she’s not doing this for love, that the man she’s marrying her is in love with someone else-”

“Marinette no!” Nathalie said firmly, “Everyone who is involved has already made their decision. If Luka doesn’t have the gumption to go after her, and Kagami doesn’t have the courage to risk defying her mother, then it isn’t our place to intervene.”

“Why not?” Marinette argued, “If she can’t-”

“Marinette please,” Nathalie sighed, “Do you have no respect for Madame? For all she’s done for both of us? She didn’t have to take either of us in, or let us stay.”

“I have a great deal of respect for Madame,” Marinette replied quietly, “But I have a great deal more love for Kagami. I… I just want her to be happy, and the Vicomte Kubdel won’t, not if he’s in love with someone else.”

“Who knows,” Nathalie shrugged, “Maybe it’ll turn into a love match, stranger things have happened.”

“Like?”

“Like a young lord falling in love with an uninitiated whore,” Nathalie raised a brow at Marinette.

“It certainly makes for a pretty story,” Marinette allowed, “But I like the case of mistaken identity turned to love more. It makes for a more interesting narrative, at any rate.”

“Marinette!” Adrien’s voice rang throughout his father’s house, “Marinette!” he repeated as he appeared in the doorway. As opposed to usual, he seemed completely disheveled, and he was wildly waving a piece of parchment in his hand.

“Adrien, what is it?” she asked.

“It’s Luka,” he heaved, “I raced over as soon as I could. Nathalie, please give my apologies to Father, but it’s incredibly urgent.”

“What about Luka?” Marinette asked, “What happened? Is he hurt? Was there an accident?”

“Somehow, I feel it would have been better if there had been,” Adrien handed the missive over to her, “Luka’s gone.”

“Gone?” Marinette stopped her hurried perusal of the scripted lines, absently noting Luka’s beautiful handwriting, “What do you mean gone?”

“He’s gone to take up his mother’s mantel,” Adrien shook his head, “I think he’s running away from the fact that he’s lost Kagami. He’s never wanted to return to the sea before now, before this.”

“It’s even worse than that,” Marinette replied, “I’ve spoken with Kagami, the man she’s marrying doesn’t even love her. It’s a marriage of convenience, her family gets his title, he gets her money. He’s basically all but admitted once they’re married they’ll go back to Rome so he can be with his true love.”

“He’s marrying for money, I’m not surprised,” Gabriel cut in as he entered the room, “It’s a common practice in this world. Though, love matches are starting to overtake it.”

“Thank goodness for small miracles,” Nathalie sardonically quipped, rising to place a kiss on his cheek, “And where have you been?”

“Trying to talk Andre out of inviting us to his daughter’s wedding,” Gabriel replied, “Apparently Mademoiselle Bourgeois has made it official who she wants to be wedded to.”

“Oh? And whom would that be?”

“The upcoming artist,” Gabriel replied, “By the name of Kurtzberg.”

“Nathaniel?” Marinette questioned, “With Chloe?”

Adrien looked to her, “Stranger things have happened.”

“I remember her crying to us about it a good while ago,” Marinette remarked, “I never imagined that the one she was talking about was Nathaniel. Then again, I never imagined the one she had wanted to marry for so long was you.”

“Which reminds me,” Gabriel remarked, “I’ll need to speak with Monseigneur Kurtzberg at some point, and you would do well to do so as well Adrien.”

“Why?” the women asked.

“It is tradition that all Lady Agreste’s receive an official portrait,” Adrien explained, “I believe mother’s was painted by Nathaniel’s master, was it not?”

“It was,” Gabriel agreed, “Though the boy may yet surpass him in terms of talent.”

“What Father means,” Adrien gave a wry grin, “Is that I think he has something he wants to discuss with you at some point Nathalie.”

The implication sunk in and caused Nathalie’s cheeks to redden. Never would she have thought herself to become a wife of nobility. No matter the numerous marriage offers she had received over the years, she’d never taken them seriously. All those men had wanted they could have paid for, and they did. But Gabriel… well Gabriel was different. And she found she wouldn’t mind spending the rest of her days with him. At the very least, his track record with wives and women told her he would be incredibly loyal.

“Getting back to the point,” Adrien swung the conversation around again, “What are we going to do?”

“Nothing,” Nathalie said simply, “Look, this isn’t our place to intervene. Kagami and Luka are adults, they should be more than capable of making their own decisions. Now, since you’re already here Adrien, why not spend some time in the back garden with Marinette? Tikki!” she called.

The maid appeared, “Yes?”

“Adrien and Marinette would like to take a stroll through the garden, please escort them there.”

“Of course,” Tikki nodded and followed them out.

“What are we going to do?” Marinette asked when she was certain Tikki was far enough away not to eavesdrop but close enough to prevent rumors of scandal, “We can’t just let them be.”

“I know,” Adrien ran a hand through his hair, “They deserve a happy ending as much as anyone does. Luka only met her because he wanted to stop me from falling for a gold digger. Instead, he found the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and the worst.”

“What do you mean, worst?”

“When you love someone, that person has the power to break you. Think of the way I reacted when learned Ladybug had moved in with another man.”

“You were crushed,” Marinette bit her lip as she remembered the pain and sorrow he had imparted to her that night, “I promise I will spend the rest of my life making sure you never feel like that again.”

“I know now why it happened,” Adrien said, “And I get it. I know you wouldn’t do anything like that on purpose. But the parallel is the same. Luka is running because he doesn’t want to accept that he’s hurting. Because it would mean having to face the fact that he’s in love with her. But she’s getting married to someone else.”

“Someone who doesn’t even love her,” Marinette replied bitterly.

“At least he’s being honest about it,” Adrien shrugged, “Look, the Kubdels are an honorable family. If Jalil felt he had another option he wouldn’t be doing this, I can promise you that.”

“Kagami told me that Jalil said Lila couldn’t come with him, not that she wouldn’t or that she didn’t want to…” she trailed off for a moment in thought, “What if Luka were to find out about all this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Luka’s taking over his mother’s position as the head of a shipping company, right?”

“Ah, right,” Adrien replied, not quite wanting to tell his secret fiancee that Luka was actually from a long line of pirates, was technically a prince in that world.

“Well, who’s to stop him from picking up another guest for the wedding?” Marinette asked, a devious smile present on her face.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Adrien remarked with a smile of his own, “Alright, what’s your plan?”

MLB

Anarka received a missive, which was odd. Usually correspondence didn’t come in such fine quality parchment and ink. Pirates loved to loot, but they were typically pretty frugal. And the pirate king was never for hire from the nobles. Their price was usually too steep, it was something left to novices looking to raise their rank in the world. But Anarka would recognize that handwriting anywhere, it was Gabriel’s little boy and one of Luka’s best friends.

Her eyes scanned the message. Oh, he wanted her for hire, alright, but there could be no better payment than the end result of the plan detailed therein. She wouldn’t even accept the coin he’d sent to assure her he could pay her for her help.

“Luka! Juleka!” she called. Her children appeared in her cabin, which she had yet to fully vacate, “Hoist the mainsail and get ready to shove off, we’ve got a new target in sight.”

“Aye aye,” they saluted and went to inform the crew.

“Luka me boy, set a moment,” Anarka halted him, “I need to inform ye of the treasure we’ve been charged to receive.”

“Why do I need to know?” Luka asked, “And since when does the Pirate King take a charge from anyone?”

“Since yer red lady seems to be headin’ fer rough waters, and ye have true blue friends who want to help,” she gave him the second page, which had also been enclosed.

Marinette had written a letter directly addressed to Luka explaining the detailed circumstances of what she had managed to garner from Kagami. With a few embellishments of course. Marinette figured if they were going to put on a production, they were going to go full Shakespearean. The only difference? Their Benedick and Beatrice had already begun liking one another before they intervened.

Luka’s eyes quickly scanned the missive, “Wait, what?” he murmured aloud, “Did she really… she… I never thought that-”

“Never thought what, boyo?” Anarka shot him a knowing smile, “That yer feisty little spitfire might like ye back?”

“I never thought that she would admit it,” Luka replied, still fixated on the curling words of script as they flowed across the page, “No, no I can’t let this happen. Rossi… hm..”

“Ready to set sail son?” Anarka asked.

“Ready, wait,” Luka strode over to the family curio cabinet, where he knew his mother kept family treasures. From it he pulled a large feathered hat and an antique pistol and holster. Lastly, he pulled out an ornate sword. One by one he suited them up, strapping on the weapons and at last setting the headpiece atop his own head. He turned to his mother, in full Pirate King regalia, “ _Now_ I’m ready.”

Anarka had to blink back tears, he looked so much like his father. Wordlessly she nodded, handing over her title without ceremony, without a fight. She had never wanted it any other way.

MLB

Chloe looked anxiously at her gloves. For the first time in her life she was nervous for a party being thrown in her honor. Normally, she loved it. Loved the attention, loved the praise, loved being able to shop for and spend a fortune on a new dress and special attention paid to her appearance. All the pampering and the bells and whistles. But for the first time in her life, this party was only partly in her honor. Namely, it was in honor of her engagement to Nathaniel.

Which was the main source of anxiety for her. It was one thing to fall in love with someone below her station. It was quite another to declare it before every peer in the realm. Chloe wasn’t doubting her feelings, but she wasn’t used to public rejection from everyone that had to fear and respect her family’s name and reputation. Something like this… it was scandalous. And Nathaniel hadn’t even wanted to _have_ a party. But it had been the only way her father would agree to the marriage. Despite his normal kowtowing to her every whim he had stood his ground when she said she didn’t even care. He wanted a party, Nathaniel acquiesced.

So they’d gotten to work and now here they were. Chloe had been primped and preened and Pollen had done her utmost to make sure her mistress was the lady of the hour. Part of Chloe was wistful, recalling those childish fantasies of once upon a time, how it would be her and Adrien in this place at this time and it would be everything she’d ever dreamed of. And now, being grown, it was; and it wasn’t. Nathaniel _wasn’t_ Adrien. But then again, Adrien wasn’t Nathaniel. It was hard to articulate, she loved both men dearly, and for the longest time she had really believed she was in love with Adrien.

Now she wondered if the love she had thought was romantic projections onto the love of an object. Like Adrien had been one of her favorite gowns or tiaras. She loved him, but loving him meant wanting to in a way own him. To the point where her name and reputation had been used to fend off any other girl from the moment he was in the eyes of society available. Now, yes, Chloe still got jealous, but only with women she genuinely believed were a threat. She knew Nathaniel’s feelings well enough on the matter, but also knew his romantic history, and the types of girls he’d previously carried feelings for. They had all been like Adrien’s little streetrat, pretty and charming and kind. Maybe there was some small part of Chloe that revolted against such notions because it had never been enough. Chloe had been raised to be just like them; well, perhaps _trained_ was a more accurate term. She had tried to be the good and dutiful daughter, tried to be kind. But it wasn’t in her nature, and her attempts were never good enough. Not for someone to stay, never for someone to stay.

It was that same insidious little voice in her head that made her paranoid, told her black little lies. This party wasn’t going to end in happiness, Nathaniel had simply been stringing her along this whole time, and he’d only agreed to the party because he wanted to savor her humiliation in front of a large crowd. Chloe wasn’t good enough, she would never be good enough. Maybe that’s why Chloe had loved Adrien so much, because he knew her at the worst, and he tolerated it, he’d never run, but he’d never gotten as close as Nathaniel had either. He was present but distant, the perfect match. That had been what she believed. Well, at least she would have her father if everything went poorly. The thought was small consolation.

“Mistress?” Pollen poked her head through the door, “The party is waiting to begin, are you ready?”

Chloe cast one last look at her reflection in the mirror. In the glass she looked calm, composed, refined and dignified even. As pretty as she appeared in one of Nathaniel’s portraits. But then, paint couldn’t capture the subtle shaking of her hands as she placed them on the tabletop and stood. She turned to her maid, faking her normal arrogant confidence,

“Of course I am Pollen,” she retorted with a toss of her head, “I’m a Bourgeois, this is the world we were _made_ for.”

MLB

“Tell me again why we’re here,” Marinette murmured to Adrien as they waited in the ballroom for Andre to announce his daughter, and some special news concerning her.

“Because my Father is so preoccupied with Nathalie he decided to shirk his duties as a peer and leave me to pick up the slack?” he replied with only half a smile, “And I didn’t want to come here alone.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose the thought of two people that were parental figures to each of them together like that. When Nathalie had done it before… well Nathalie hadn’t _liked_ it but she understood it was nothing more than a job. Now however… no, no, she shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking like that. Or ever, if she could help herself again.

“My thoughts exactly,” Adrien had to stifle a chuckle as he watched her thoughts and emotions roll across her face on full display, though the mirth was still highly audible in his tone, “Shh, Lord Bourgeois has taken the stand.”

“My dear lords and ladies,” Andre began, “It has long been said that I am a man who possesses a great deal of treasures from all over the world. I should like to take this opportunity to tell you that this is all true,” at the brief response of polite laughter, he continued, “But, of all the treasures I have ever had the privilege of being blessed with, the greatest is my brilliant and beautiful daughter, Chloe.” a round of applause as Chloe stepped onto the stage, “And now, I have an important announcement to make; my beautiful daughter will be getting married.”

There was a pause. And then whispers of who she could be marrying started circulating. Before they could get too far, Andre silenced them, “Yes, I am proud to announce she will be marrying one of the most preeminent men who has risen to fame throughout Europe. May I present Chloe’s intended groom, the renown artist Nathaniel Kurtzberg.”

Nathaniel stepped up to join his fiancee and future father in law. Many of the whispers were ones of shock, though not necessarily derogatory in any ways. Most of it could be attributed to the fact that so many people within the noble realm had assumed that Adrien and Chloe would be the ones announcing their engagement tonight. But just when things seemed to be settling down into proper acceptance for the couple, a harsh, piercing, and disapproving voice rang out;

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”

All eyes turned to the source of the voice. And instantly the crowds parted like the Red Sea to let her storm forth. And there she was, in all her harshly beautiful glory; Lady Audrey Bourgeois, Andre’s wife and Chloe’s mother. Anyone who knew the gossip knew that Lady Audrey was one of the harshest critics of anyone and everyone. Her particular specialty happened to be critiquing fashion, but she could always be said to have an opinion on any topic presented to her. It had been something that made her a hot commodity during her own time on the marriage mart. But in any other regards it made everyone fear her harsh opinion, which was taken as the word for the good and bad in society.

Chloe immediately blanched, all those repressed fears. That insidious voice within her own had now had its human form restored to it. Among the other things requested during the planning of this party, Andre had insisted an invitation be sent to Chloe’s mother -who tended to remain in her own apartments, either the townhouse in the middle of Paris, the country house in Calais, or, more frequently, her flat in New York. They had received no response, which Chloe had expected. She expected the one sent to New York hadn’t even arrived yet. So they’d assumed she wouldn’t be coming. But apparently she’d been in the country, and she’d somehow been given some incentive to come. Perhaps it was the chance to publicly humiliate her daughter for not marrying one of the elite peers, someone _above_ her station, not _below_ it.

As Audrey approached the stage, sailing across the floor as regal as any queen had ever reigned in France, Chloe had to remind herself to keep breathing. Said breathing was shallow and not at all helped by the corsetry and the other trappings of her dress. Audrey’s narrowed blue eyes raked disappointedly over her progeny’s form, mouth curled into a distasteful frown even as she said,

“Hello Chloe,”

Her shaking hands balled into fists as Chloe fearfully but determinedly met her mother’s gaze, replying, “Hello mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and let know what you guys thought. I really appreciate the feedback. Until next time everyone


	18. Confrontations, of Many Kinds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah, finish one arc, and begin another. And this is hopefully going to be focused a little better. Now that I'm not trying to juggle Adrien and Marinette with all the other character struggles. Hope you guys enjoy it!

“Once again Chloe,” Audrey shook her head, “You manage to disappoint me. An  _ artist _ ?  _ Really _ ? You could do so much better. Where’s Gabriel’s boy? He’s the one who should be standing here with you.” she looked around and saw him, “You, Gabriel’s boy, come up here.”

Not wanting to cause even more of a scene than was already occurring Adrien went up to join them. Audrey continued, “Surely you can’t be happy that my daughter is marrying this, this,  _ peasant _ when last I heard talks had been finalized about her marriage to you, can you?”

Adrien looked between Chloe and Nathaniel and Audrey. Andre was as simpering and sycophantic in regards to his wife as ever, and wasn’t standing up for his own daughter’s happiness, so it looked like Adrien would have to.

“You know Madame Bourgeois,” he began slowly, “There was a time when I expecting marrying Chloe to be an inevitability. We’ve grown up together, we’ve been good friends a long time, marriage- a union between two of the most powerful families in Paris; it only seems natural right?”

Audrey smirked, seeming that Adrien was leading up to his desire to marry her daughter.

“And then, Chloe came crying to me one day, worried because she had fallen in love with someone else. Do you know that in the entire time I’ve known her, Chloe has not once genuinely cried in front of someone else? And yet, she came crying to me, worried that she had hurt me because she had developed feelings for a kind, caring, and gentle man. And do you know what? Chloe has grown, so much since she met her fiance. I love Chloe, I really do, but she could be selfish and entitled. She wanted to marry me because she felt entitled to me, not because she genuinely loved me. She loved she title, the prestige, and most importantly, she wanted to marry me because she wanted to make  _ you _ proud of her. But you know what I think? I think that Chloe is a fully grown lady who doesn’t need her mother’s approval to be happy.” Adrien turned his direction to Chloe, “What do you think, Chloe?”

Chloe looked to Nathaniel who nodded to her silently, giving her hand a squeeze with his own. They had discussed this, in depth, right after Nathaniel had asked her to marry him. Chloe hadn’t exactly answered him with the most enthusiasm ever. As a matter of fact she had seemed down right stunned. Her yes had been halting, as though she were expected to give it rather than something she’d wanted to give. He had later found out that though she loved him, she had conflicting feelings about marrying him because of what her mother would say. Chloe had explained that everything she had ever done had been in emulation of and purposed to make her mother proud of her. No matter what Chloe had done, no matter how she exceeded in her lessons, had wonderful scripts written about her in the papers, it was never enough. Nathaniel had told her quite frankly that if all of that wasn’t enough, nothing would ever be, and that she shouldn’t let the whims of one bitter and vicious woman dictate what made Chloe herself happy. He should have expected this, but it had honestly slipped his mind. Still, as much as he wanted to draw his sword and defend Chloe’s honor, he knew this was a battle she would have to fight herself. All he could do was be there to help her stand strong should she need it. He just hoped Chloe would finally be tired of it, and her stubborn nature coupled with how wonderfully she wielded fury would finally put the elder Lady Bourgeois in her place.

“Mother,” Chloe began with a deep breath, “All my life, I’ve wanted to be like you. I’ve worked so hard, just so you would say you were proud of me, so that you would say you loved me. Because surely, you had to, didn’t you? That you didn’t say it meant you were just trying to make me better. And when you continued to leave, I thought that if I just proved I was good enough, you might finally take me with you. But you never did, and maybe I let that treatment dictate how I treated others; those less fortunate than me as less than, Adrien as a possession to own and display. But I don’t want to  _ be _ like that anymore. I found a good man, a talented man, who loves me and makes me want to be better. He says I’m enough, even when we both know I’m not. He’s the one I’ve chosen to spend my life with, and if you can’t accept that and be happy for me as my mother, then maybe you don’t  _ deserve _ to be my mother anyways.”

The entire assembly was stunned by this declaration. No one, never in the history of polite society, had ever publicly denounced their parent like that. Typically they waited until after the appropriate amount of mourning time after said parent was dead. But leave it to Chloe Bourgeois to cause a scandal beyond compare. Disowning her own mother, at her own engagement ball. It would surely be the talk of the Ton for years to come, especially if Audrey’s reaction was in character with her usual personality.

“Wh- well I…” Audrey looked around, noticing the stares and whispers beginning to swirl around the ballroom, “I will speak with you about this in  _ private _ ,  _ later _ .” and with a huff, she flounced off into the inner depths of the Bourgeois mansion.

Only a trained eye could notice how Chloe’s posture sagged with relief after her mother left the room. Nathaniel immediately stepped closer to offer her his arm. The assembly clapped loudly for the happy couple and then the revelries began.

The pair made their way around the room, greeting and conversing with everyone. Eventually they came around to Adrien and Marinette, who were sharing a drink and conversing within proper view of the society matrons.

“Adrikins!” Chloe greeted, forgetting propriety and throwing herself into his arms for a hug. No one paid anyone any mind. Though Nathaniel was wealthy, he wasn’t as rich as the Bourgeois family, and Chloe and Adrien themselves had all but announced they were happy not to be marrying each other, for love or anything else. Their closeness might have been mistaken for romantic, if they didn’t see just how brightly Chloe shone when Nathaniel’s gaze was upon her.

“Chloe,” he greeted, placing a kiss on her cheek, “I’m happy to see you in such high spirits.”

“Can you believe I actually did it?” she asked giddily, “I actually stood up to her. I stood up to my  _ mother _ Adrikins.  _ Me _ !”

“I never doubted you had it in you Chloe,” Adrien replied, “You just needed the proper motivation to do it.”

While their fiances talked Nathaniel placed a kiss on Marinette’s hand, “It’s a pleasure to see you again Mademoiselle,” he greeted.

“Please Monseigneur, the pleasure’s all mine,” Marinette replied with a slight curtsy, “And I think we’ll be seeing enough of one another that you might call me Marinette.”

“I heard you’ve been sponsored by the Agreste family, yes,” Nathaniel nodded, “I apologize for Chloe’s forwardness in regards to your companion this evening,”

“She’s not so bad,” Marinette waved it off, “I get it, they’re close. If anything she does it more out of habit now than any real desire.”

“I should hope not or else I might find myself woefully outmatched,” Nathaniel laughed.

Marinette giggled along with him, “Not at all, you have a lot to offer anyone.”

“Um excuse me,” Chloe’s voice cut in, she was staring at the two with her hands on her hips, and she didn’t look too impressed.

“My apologies, Lady Chloe,” Marinette quickly deferred, “Your intended is incredibly eloquent. You have chosen well,”

“I could say the same of you, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe raised a brow at her.

“Didn’t you once say he would never choose me?” Marinette asked, tone clearly meant to be teasing.

Chloe thankfully took it as such, “What can I say?” she shrugged in her typical haughty manner, “He chose you, I chose him; miracles can happen anywhere, to anyone.”

“How right you are,” Adrien smoothly interjected, diffusing the tension before it could even build.

“That reminds me,” Chloe turned to the other blond, “Where’s your father? I know Daddy wouldn’t have forgotten to extend him an invitation.”

“Why do you think I’m here, besides the obvious reasons?” Adrien laughed, “Father’s met someone and he’s back to acting like a young, irresponsible heir instead of the respectable lord he is.”

“Lord Gabriel Agreste acting anything but respectable?” Chloe mock gasped with a hand to her heart, “Perish the thought.”

The four shared a laugh before it was time for the couple of the hour to move on. And pretty soon, the late hours of the evening had whiled away to the wee hours of the next morning. Adrien and Marinette, both exhausted, hopped into the carriage which took them back to the Agreste estate. Both Tikki and Plagg were there to greet them, already assuming that their masters would be too tired to move more than needed. Adrien still had his old room in this estate, so it wasn’t as though his staying the night would be a massive imposement.

Much later into that same morning, both awoke and blearily made their way down to the breakfast table after being dressed for the day. Gabriel and Nathalie were already finishing up their own morning meals when they noticed them.

“Don’t you two look worn out,” Nathalie commented, “I take it you had a good time?”

“More than a good time,” Adrien replied through a yawn while Marinette nodded with a half-conscious grunt of agreement. “Have you not read the gossip columns yet?”

“I try to stay out of senseless gossip,” Nathalie shrugged, “I know what it’s like to have people say things about me. I try to give others the courtesy of having their own private lives remain so.”

“Did something noteworthy enough to appear in the gossip columns happen last night?” Gabriel asked.

“Only the biggest thing in the name of scandals,” Adrien replied, “You really should have been there Father. Lady Audrey showed up, and Chloe told her off, to her face, in front of the entire assembly.”

“Really?” Gabriel raised a brow, “I’m sure that was a sight to behold, almost makes me wish I  _ had _ gone.”

“Why didn’t you?” Marinette asked through a yawn as she reached for some breakfast.

“I had…  _ other _ priorities last night,” Gabriel replied, quickly flicking his gaze over to Nathalie, who gave a certain type of smile in response. Adrien and Marinette had to suppress their instinct to gag.

“Oh hush,” Nathalie chided amusedly, “I know for a fact that were we allowing you two to remain together you’d be doing the exact same thing.”

Instantly the two began to blush, even as Adrien managed to stammer out, “H-how would you know that?”

“Because,” Nathalie stood and place a hand on Marinette’s shoulder, “She was trained by the best.” Marinette flushed deeper and Nathalie continued, “At least that’s something to look forward to come wedding day.”

“Nathalie!” Marinette whined, her blush deepening to reflect the skin of a tomato.

“You should always be honest about your talents dear,” Nathalie replied, sitting back down next to Gabriel, “Why do you think we get so many marriage proposals in the first place? We might not have wealth or status, but we can offer something-”

“I’m done listening to this,” Marinette quickly stood up and hurried off. Nathalie and Gabriel were laughing at her embarrassment.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Adrien cut in.

“You’re right,” Nathalie admitted, “It wasn’t. But isn’t she cute when she’s flustered?”

Adrien bit his tongue, knowing he couldn’t argue the point. She did look lovely when she was flushed, with anger or embarrassment or… no, no, he wouldn’t allow his thoughts to go there in front of his father and likely as not new mother.

Nathalie smirked victoriously, “That’s what I thought. Tikki!” the maid appeared, “Why not escort Adrien out to the garden where I’m certain Marinette has fled. Let them talk, Gabriel and I have some things to discuss.”

Tikki nodded, “Miss,” turning to Adrien she said, “Young master,”

Adrien pushed his plate to the side and rose. His fiancee was easily riled, at least home life would never be boring.

MLB

“Can’t you at least  _ pretend _ to enjoy this?” Shizuku asked her daughter, who was eyeing the wedding plans with intense disinterest, practically nodding off at every available opportunity.

“Just because I have agreed to do this,” Kagami replied, “Does  _ not _ mean I have to be excited about it.” especially knowing what she knew. She had always known she would marry a man she did not love, and that did not love her. She just didn’t expect it to hurt as much as it had. Then again, it probably wouldn’t have hurt as much had her heart remained in her own possession.

“You’re finally getting married, to a nice titled gentleman,” Shizuku parried, “Doesn’t that make you in the least bit excited?”

The thoughts of the future ahead of her; long, lonely nights that stretched out ahead of her. Being forced to endure the same treatment mother’s girls did at the hands of one client, knowing that he did his part to secure an heir, and that it would be her own fault should the child not take. Knowing that both of their hearts belonged to other people, but society’s dictates kept them all apart. And she wanted nothing more than to balk. The wedding could hang, Kagami wanted to say she’d rather die alone than marry Jalil. A pity it wasn’t his fault, this whole thing would be so much easier if he was smug and intensely unlikable. But that was the thing, he was hurting that he had to do this as much as she was. He’d only picked her because he believed that a marriage would be beneficial without emotionally damaging. He hadn’t been willing to do it to anyone else.

Kagami knew herself. She was blunt, and straightforward, frank… And alright, perhaps a tad too forward for her own good. She knew what she liked, and she knew how to go for it. And yet, if she knew why had she let her mother push her into this situation? She didn't  _ want _ Jalil, she wanted… she wanted… Maybe it was too early to really decide  _ who _ she wanted, but she did know  _ what _ she wanted. And what she wanted was the ability to make her own choice.

“I can’t do this,” Kagami shook her head and stood.

“What?” Shizuku asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can’t do this,” Kagami gestured to all the plans her mother had out in front of her, “I can’t marry the Vicomte, I just can’t do it.”

“Why not?”

“Because, I…” Kagami paused, trying to find the words to articulate her reasons. She knew her mother, feelings were secondary to making the family proud. The honor that had been lost by needing to run this establishment, it was supposed to be restored with Kagami’s marriage into the upper class.

“I feel nothing,” Kagami finally continued, “I can’t marry a man I feel nothing towards. What use is a good match when he’s already told me he intends that I remain sequestered away in his estate while he openly pursues the Italian ambassador’s daughter? What honor does that bring to us mother? What honor does that bring to  _ me _ ?” Kagami shook her head, “I cannot be dishonored with a marriage to a man who would be so faithless and shameful to me. I won’t do it mother. I can’t.”

“Oh, I see,” her mother paused for a moment, before adding, “Well, I suppose that’s too bad.”

Instantly, Kagami was on her guard, her mother didn’t give up without a fight. She was the mistress of the house, and though Kagami relished in any small opportunity to flout the restrictions that had been placed upon her, when it came to large and important matters like this her mother didn’t back down.

Kagami was proven right as Shizuku added, “Because you no longer have a choice in the matter. Guards!” she called and instantly the brawny, burly men who protected the brothel from even worse types were sidling up to her, “See to it my daughter remains in her room for the duration of the wedding’s planning. We only have a month or so, and I want to be certain she won’t do anything  _ foolish _ in the meantime.”

Each man grabbed one of her arms. They then hoisted her off her feet and dragged her into her room, removing her sabre and anything she might use as a weapon against them before locking her in. Kagami hadn’t been locked in her room since she was a child. Fervently she banged on the door, ordering them to release her. Her commands fell on deaf ears and for the first time in a long, long time, Kagami felt helpless. Absolutely helpless.

She turned her back to the door and slid down it, curling in on herself as the feeling of weakness she utterly loathed threatened to well up and overwhelm her. No! No, no, no, no, no! She pounded at the floor, relishing the pain each unyielding blow delivered to her fist. Maybe if she injured herself enough she wouldn’t have to go through with it. Then again, if she injured herself badly enough to postpone the wedding she wouldn’t have the energy to actually escape. And even if she  _ did _ manage to evade her mother, where could she go? Immediately she thought of Lord Adrien Agreste’s townhouse, but her mother knew her sponsor’s addresses and would surely look there first. What if, maybe… she knew that her sponsor had friends, friends with status and more importantly, friends with homes. Maybe she could stay with one of them without her mother finding her. She should have thought of that before her little tirade. There was no way her mother would let her out of the house now.

Kagami sighed to herself, never before had her world felt so small. Then again, maybe it wasn't the scope of the world she was able to access, but the people within it that made it feel so large and full. She missed them all, Marinette, Adrien, Nino, and Luka. Odd, how a man she had started off with so much disdain towards had quickly become one of her closest confidants. They had even shared a kiss… maybe she shouldn't be thinking about that. Remembering just how passionate that had been only served to remind her of the years of empty kisses that awaited her should she fail to escape. Empty kisses, empty caresses, an empty life filled with however many kids she could carry to term before she died or dried up. And all the while knowing that she wasn’t even the one her husband would desire. If he was in love with Lila Rossi it only made sense she would be the one he thought of as he embraced her. And wasn’t that the most humiliating part? She had no doubt that her family’s money would sponsor so many illicit trysts, and a child, or children. It wasn’t that Jalil was a bad person, present actions notwithstanding, but he was as tied by the constraints of high society as she was. According to Marinette, Luka hadn’t been acting himself, and even up until now, no one had heard from him in a long while. The word was that he joined his mother and sister in the family business. What exactly that was no one really knew, only that had something to do with sailing. Kagami glanced out her window and sighed, she hoped the seas treated him kindly. If nothing else, one of them deserved to be happy.

MLB

Lila Rossi enjoyed the warm climate of her homeland. Rome was a wonderful place, namely because when it got cold you could move somewhere else. Still, as of late it had been rather dull. Lila didn’t really  _ do _ dull. All that was left to do now was wait for her father to get tired of dallying with the staff. She missed being a part of something. She missed working on conservation. She missed, she missed Jalil. But, she had said her piece. And he had said his. She just couldn’t go with him. Because she knew that they wouldn’t be able to afford a house in Rome unless they lived there permanently. And Jalil had his own familial property that had to be looked after.

Was she pathetic or what? He’d already been gone long enough for her to start getting over him. So that’s exactly what she intended to do. Father was throwing another one of his lavish parties tonight, the whole villa was abuzz with excitement, as it always was. Lila had a new dress for the occasion, just as she always did. Were even the parties which were so much fun now becoming routine? Lila just couldn’t get her mind off the work she’d been able to do under Jalil’s tutelage. She had felt so much more capable and important when she had helped to argue for the restoration and conservation of the Coliseum as opposed to now, where she spent her days listlessly wandering about town with nary a thought in her head. Except there  _ were _ thoughts in there now. She noticed the slow decay of all the ancient and wonderful buildings due to the people’s own ignorance of how to properly care for them.

She noticed also, the way that wealthy foreigners took advantage of her people, paying minimal for maximum treasure. But no one trusted a woman enough to listen to her when she warned them of what a bad idea it was. Lila let out a sigh, just a few more hours, and then she would be happy again. Parties always had a way of lifting her spirits, even if they had gained a rather monotonous cadence as of late.

She wandered among the throng later on that evening, enjoying the buzz of conversation around her and good wine flowing through her system. People were dancing and talking and sneaking off into hidden corners of the house for amorous liaisons. Lila had to suppress the memory of her boldness on her own balcony, kissing the nobleman and stealing his mask away. Was every little thing going to keep reminding her of the Vicomte? She had to get over him, they had reached an impasse, they had let each other go, and it was time to stop holding on to the memory of what had been and could never be. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize when she had bumped into someone.

“Oh,” the gentleman said, quickly bowing and making a fuss over her, “My apologies my lady,” he kissed her proffered hand, “I should have looked more carefully at where I was going.”

“The apology should also be mine,” Lila replied in French without even realizing it, “I was lost in thought and was not paying much attention either.”

“Really?” he raised a brow at her, “Might I offer a franc for the lovely lady’s thoughts?”

Lila looked more closely at him. He was a well dressed man, if a bit eccentric, but he was handsome, and charming. He might not be the worst choice to try and forget the Vicomte. She smiled wistfully, trying to ensnare him with demurity, “You may offer, Monseigneur,” she replied, “But I will not take it. What might I do with a Franc here in Rome?”

“You’re very astute,” he remarked, “Might we retire to the balcony for some air? I would really like to speak more, without the grating noise of interlopers buzzing about like gnats in my ears.”

Her heart panged at the mention of the balcony. But her intention was to forget the Vicomte, which mean she had to cleanse his presence from her home. The balcony was as good a place to start as any.

Her companion, a Monseigneur Ardroc, was a wonderful conversationalist. In the sense that he encouraged her to talk about anything and everything, not minding how she dominated the conversation. He asked her about her homeland, what she had seen and where, and what she had done with her life until their fateful meeting. He kept her glass always plentiful, to the point where she scarcely noticed when he left, only when he reappeared with a full glass. Was she four flutes in, or five? She’d honestly lost count over the third. But Monseigneur Ardroc didn’t seem to notice if her words began to slur or her stance began to wobble. Lila braced herself against the balcony’s rail, letting an evening breeze stir a few loose locks of her hair.

And then, something about the situation stirred maudlin feelings, and before Lila was really aware of what was happening, she was wiping tears away from her eyes. Monseigneur Ardroc immediately looked concerned.

“Is something wrong Mademoiselle?” he asked, reaching out a hand but societal dictation making him drop it.

“I’m sorry,” Lila brushed her tears away fruitlessly, as they simply continued to pour forth, “I don’t know what’s come over me. You must think me suffering from hysteria, but I promise you I’m not normally like this.”

“You simply seem to be deeply grieved over something,” Ardroc observed, “Is it perhaps, a lost love?”

His gentle question only caused her to cry harder. Especially when he placed a comforting hand at her arm and added, “It is alright to mourn such feelings. I don’t think they make anyone hysterical. Love, loss of love, it is all natural. And you are not less than for succumbing to it.”

“I, thank you,” Lila sniffed.

“Would it surprise you to learn that I too, have lost a love?”

“Really?” Lila’s tears began to slow, and she felt a little exhausted from both the wine and the tumultuous emotions, “I can’t believe that,”

“Well,” Ardroc replied, “It’s true,” he looked a little pained as he cast his gaze out over the swirling vista before him. And Lila felt uncharacteristically charitable.

She place a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Would you like to talk about it?”

He glanced at her, and then smiled. That type of smile that held both knowledge and pain. Melancholic, and yet somehow, also smug.

“No, no,” he shook his head, “Perhaps another time. For now though,” he offered her a handkerchief, “Dry your tears, a beautiful Lady should never be crying.”

“Thank you,” Lila took the cloth, and began dabbing at her eyes. Her cheeks had been stained with tears, so it was unsurprising how wet the cloth immediately was. She passed it over her face, inadvertently breathing through the cloth. And suddenly, she began to feel dizzy, more so than she had earlier.

“I don’t-” it was the only thing she was able to get out before her swimming vision went black and she passed out. Ardroc caught her in his arms, and a rakish grin set itself across his lips.

When Lila awoke some indeterminate amount of time later, it was to darkness. Mostly darkness. But there was light enough for her to see that she was in the holding cell of what -by the swaying and rolling beneath her- felt like a ship. There were noises; some, like the distant murmur of conversation, were comforting. Others, like the sounds of squeaking and scurrying, were not.

“Hello?” she called out into the gloom, “Let me out of here at once!”

Lila heard footsteps echoing her way, along with the jingle of keys. Were they coming to release her? Was something like that ever this easy?

She saw a petite blonde girl, one who looked more like a fairy than anything, come her way. She smiled cheerily, “Oh, you’re finally awake. That’s good, how are you feeling?”

Lila felt her stomach lurch as the boat either bobbed or crested, “Nauseas,” she replied honestly.

The blonde nodded sympathetically, “It’ll take you awhile to get your sea legs unfortunately. But other than that? Does your head hurt? Are you stiff in any way?”

Lila took stock of herself, aside from the seasickness, she felt more or less fine. Bodily, anyways. Emotionally she was broiling with anger. But since this girl was nice enough to inquire after her well being, she would hold her tongue. Besides, she didn’t look  _ that _ strong, Lila certainly should be able to take her in a fight. She shook her head mutely.

“That’s good,” the blonde tittered, “I was worried, and his majesty said you might be feeling sick between the alcohol and the chemical-”

“Chemical?”

“In the handkerchief. He thought you didn’t needed but wanted to be certain you wouldn’t wake up before we shoved off. Oh!” she lightly tapped herself on the head, “But look at me jabbering on, my orders were to bring you to the captain once you were awake.” she jingled the keys as she rifled through them, looking for the right one. Once it was found the cell was unlocked, and the woman was opening the door and reaching for her.

The moment Lila stood up she realized she had no chance of beating this girl. Not only was she feeling sick, she was struggling to stay balanced as the ship rocked back and forth.

“I’m Rose, by the way,” the blonde said as she grabbed ahold of Lila’s arm and began escorting her through the underbelly of the vessel, “I’m the royal physician here.”

“I’m sorry,  _ royal _ ?” Lila asked.

“Well…” Rose hesitated for a moment, “Our version of royalty, anyways. You’re onboard the flagship  _ Libertè _ of the King’s armada.”

Lila’s heart sank. Everyone who knew anything at all knew of the infamous pirate king and his armada. And anyone who knew that knew the name of his flagship. She’d been kidnapped by pirates. But for what purpose? Ransom money? She was only an ambassador’s daughter, she didn’t have  _ that _ much wealth to her family’s name. Nor land, not really. It all came from her mother’s side. And her grandfather was the one who still held control of it. He’d told her once he was waiting to die til he saw his grandchild properly married off to a man who was better in every way than her father had been.

Rose continued to pull her along, and before long she was brought on deck and escorted to a cabin. All around her she saw seasoned sailors, both male and female, doing their part to make the trip as smooth as possible. She was brought into the cabin and seated in a rather luxurious chair. The captain was staring out the window. Well, that was something at least, how many got to say they met face to face with the infamous pirate king?

“Your majesty,” Rose bowed her head, “She’s here, when you’re ready.”

“Thank you Rose,” was it Lila, or did his voice sound familiar? He certainly didn’t  _ look _ familiar, not in the gaudy regalia he seemed to sport. It wasn’t until he turned around and she saw his face did the realize.

“You!” she gasped. It was Monseigneur Ardroc. He was the pirate king?

“Yes,” he nodded, “It was me. Apologies for the false pretenses, and name, I approached you under.”

“So who are you then, if not Monseigneur Ardroc?”

“Luka,” he answered, “Luka Couffaine. Not that you’ll be breathing a word of that name to any authorities ever.”

“And why not?” Lila tossed her head haughtily.

Luka leaned forward and grasped her face within his hand, “You have a very pretty face,” he mused, “I’d hate to have to do anything to it. But, if I think for a moment you’ll betray my name or my family to the authorities… Well, it doesn’t matter where you are, I will find you, and I will make you pay.”

“You’re a monster,” Lila spat.

“If it gets the job done,” Luka shrugged, “But I’m not all bad.”

“Ah yes, I forgot how  _ lovely _ the…  _ accommodations _ you afforded me were,”

“Again, my apologies for your waking in a cell, but  _ Libertè _ wasn’t exactly built for guests. Don’t worry though, I located your room and had my first mate gather enough suitable clothes for our journey.”

“Journey?” Lila was confused, “Didn’t you kidnap me for ransom?”

“Ransom…” he said the word ponderously, as though seriously considering it, “I suppose in a sense, yes. You’ve been taken for ransom. But the one I want to threaten isn’t your father, nor your grandfather.”

Lila shook her head, “I don’t understand,”

“We will be sailing to France, docking at the southern coast within a month’s time factoring in rough seas. From there we will make our way to Paris.”

Lila’s heart skipped a beat. Paris, that was where Jalil was, “Paris?” she repeated incredulously, “But why?”

“Because,” Luka said as he took the seat across from her, “The man you love is intending on marrying the woman  _ I  _ love; and both a man and a pirate, I simply cannot let that stand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Thank you for your support and I'll see you guys next time


	19. Making Plans, and Executing Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I just wanted to get one more out before the end of the month. Hope you guys enjoy it!

No one had seen hide nor hair of Kagami in quite some time. When both Marinette and Nathalie reached out to Madame they had been told that Kagami wished to focus on preparing for her wedding and would see no one. If they went to the brothel, they were turned away because they no longer had any reason to be here.

“I just don’t know what to do Alya,” Marinette groaned. She’d gone to call on the redhead as Adrien was busy trying to find Luka, whose letters were infrequent to say the very least, “I want to help, because I don’t think this is right. But I just don’t know what I can do,”

“You can’t do anything Marinette,” Alya sighed, placing the tea she’d been holding in her hands on the table, “If Kagami has chosen to go through with this, and I have no doubt that she has, all you can do is support her.”

“But she loves Luka!” Marinette protested, “How would you feel if you were being forced to marry another man when your heart belongs to Nino?”

That gave Alya pause. “I would feel utterly crushed. But then, I’m not Kagami,” she shrugged, “Short of sneaking in and breaking her out ourselves though, what can we do?”

Marinette’s eyes lit up at that response, “That’s it!”

And immediately, Alya knew where she was going with this, “Oh no,” she shook her head, “No, no, no. You said it yourself, Madame isn’t letting anyone see Kagami. Even _Nathalie_ has been turned away. Nathalie, you know, the most lucrative lady Madame Tsurugi has ever had? What makes you think any of us stands a chance?”

“Not us,” Marinette shook her head, “Them.”

“Them who?”

“We have devoted men, who would help us with anything,” Marinette reasoned, “We send them in, under the guise of business, and they rescue Kagami from her mother.”

“Are you crazy?” Alya asked, “Have you forgotten that Madame keeps bodyguards all over the place? If she’s keeping Kagami confined like you seem to believe she is, why wouldn’t there be guards there as well? Not to mention that Kagami’s room was strategically placed far away from the business bedrooms to prevent the excuse of accidentally getting lost. There’s no way that anyone would believe that excuse. Kagami would have already tried to escape if she could have. You know that, you know her.”

“I know her, but when I last talked to her, she seemed resolved to go through with it. If that was the case, her mother would never turn away her friends. Which means that Kagami finally acknowledged she didn’t want to go through with this and Madame locked her away so she couldn’t run.”

“Even if Nino and Adrien _were_ to agree to this, and there’s no guarantee that they will, how on earth would we ever execute this without one or more of them getting seriously hurt. We’ve seen the bodyguards Marinette, they’re huge, and mean, and willing to hurt any man, lord or not, if they get out of line.”

Marinette sighed, “You’re right, we’re going to need a little extra muscle, and knowhow if we want to make this work. And I think I know exactly who to ask. Come on,”

“Where are we going?” Alya asked as Marinette quickly circled the table and began pulling her up by the arm.

“We’re going home,”

“Home?”

MLB

“Absolutely not,” Nathalie folded her arms across her chest, “That is an utterly ridiculous plan and there is no possible way it would work.”

Marinette had dragged Alya back to the Agreste house where Gabriel and Nathalie lived in order to ask the former courtesan for her advice and expertise. And maybe some of her lover’s resources. Needless to say, Nathalie was a pragmatist to a fault, and the negotiations weren’t going well.

“Please Nathalie,” Marinette begged, “We need to rescue her!”

“Marinette use your head,” Nathalie pinched the space between her brows, “Madame Tsurugi has been wanting this for her daughter for years. Kagami already agreed to do it.”

“But she’s trying to back out and Madame is now forcing her!” Marinette protested, “Don’t you think it’s wrong?”

“What I think and what is happening are two very different things,” Nathalie replied calmly, “You know I would do something if I could. I’ve always thought Shizuki was too hard on her daughter, and aimed too high. But Kagami is still under her mother’s authority. We cannot interfere with that, do you want us, or Adrien or Nino to be arrested?”

“Nathalie?” Gabriel entered into the room, stopping when he saw the gathering of women, “What’s going on here?”

“Your future daughter in law has come up with a hare-brained scheme to try and liberate her friend from her upcoming marriage,”

Gabriel raised a brow at the explicit reference to the engagement in the presence of an outsider, “Future daughter in law?” he questioned.

“Well, your son doesn’t call on _you_ nearly as often as he does her. They’re obviously courting, and why court if a marriage isn’t forthcoming?” Nathalie replied easily.

“You may have a point,” Gabriel nodded, “Now, what’s all this about Miss Dupain-Cheng and a harebrained scheme?”

Nathalie looked at her lover. Then she looked at Marinette, “ _You_ can tell him,” she said.

About ten minutes later the bare bones of Marinette’s plan had been laid out. And Gabriel sat there with an impassive expression through all of it. Nathalie was shaking her head in dismay, she clearly thought the whole thing incredibly foolish.

“Well?” Marinette asked hopefully, “What do you think?”

“I think that has to be one of the most ridiculous plans I have ever heard,” Gabriel said frankly, “But, Thomas has a night off coming up, you can ask him if he’s willing to help you.”

“You can’t seriously be encouraging this, can you?” Nathalie looked at him, a brow raised and her arms folded, “Everyone involved could get seriously hurt.”

Marinette and Alya had already risen and left the room, seeking out the Agreste’s carriage driver to request his help, so it was just the two of them in the sitting room. Gabriel rose only to join her on the settee. Taking her hands in his own he said, “Like it or not, I’m not Marinette’s parent, and neither are you. She is an adult, and if she can convince others to help her with this plan of hers it should be to her credit. As for me, I’m tired, of the whole affair really. So much unnecessary heartache because no one knows how to say what they want to say,”

“I recall you having the exact same problem the first time you said you loved me,” Nathalie teased.

“It’s a hard thing for a man to admit,” Gabriel rebutted, “Perhaps if men were allowed to express their emotions more often it wouldn’t be quite as difficult, more nerve wracking perhaps, but not as difficult,” he sighed, “But this wasn’t what I came in here to talk about.”

“Oh really?” Nathalie raised a brow, “Then what did you?”

“I-” Gabriel began to reply but cut himself off. He usually said what he said, but it was eloquent and well thought out. Nathalie sighed, he would get to it eventually. From her pouch she pulled out her glasses, intent on returning to the embroidery she’d started before Marinette and Alya had interrupted with their call.

“When do you wear glasses?” Gabriel asked, obviously taken by the spectacles now perched on her face.

“Since I went to the Optician after I was having trouble reading the other night,” Nathalie replied, “A few tests later and they determined I have been losing some of the strength in my eyes as I age, they wrote the prescription and here we are now.”

“They look good on you,” Gabriel remarked.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, despite how unneeded it is in this case,” Nathalie quipped, “I’m already yours, you don’t need to go through the motions of courting and false compliments to get something you want from me.”

“It’s not insincere at all,” Gabriel rebutted, “I truly think glasses suit you, just as being without them suits you. What I’m trying to say is that you’re beautiful no matter what.”

A youthful, embarrassed flush rose in her cheeks at the sincerity and Nathalie cast her gaze away, “They don’t suit me nearly as much as your own glasses suit you.”

“You rarely see me without them,” Gabriel parried, “It’s not the same. But I thank you anyways.”

“It seems we have digressed again,” Nathalie smiled, her tone sly and humorous, “What did you want to discuss with me Gabriel?”

“Ah, yes, that,” Gabriel cleared his throat uncomfortably, “You see, Adrien stopped by to see me earlier today,”

“Did I miss him?”

“You were still asleep, which was well-warranted. He… he came to inquire about something.”

“And the something was… what, exactly?” Nathalie tilted her head at him. Was she going to have to drag the topic out of him the entire way?

Gabriel sighed, “You know I hate bringing this up, but I feel it’s something I don’t want to hide from you. He asked for his mother’s ring,” the second sentence was delivered as though he had just dropped a brick from a high place on her. Both because of the way he said it and the way she sat, silent and unmoving, as he took it in. Gabriel apparently felt the need to fill the void, because he added, “He wishes to get it resized for Marinette,”

“I… see…” Nathalie drawled.

She could understand why he felt the need to tell her, as well as why he felt incredibly uncomfortable telling her. It was hard to bring up a past love in front of a current one, especially when -up until he had met her- Gabriel had had no _desire_ to move on from Emilie. Emilie’s spirit was always present within the house, Gabriel had thrown himself into mourning and immortalizing her, turning small portraits into large works of art. He even had a statue of her in his back garden. A _statue_ . It was sometimes hard to remain constant in her affections when symbols seemed to surround her to remind her of her inadequacies. She wasn’t a pure lady of good stock and noble birth, Nathalie was an orphaned nobody who’d resorted to selling her body just so she could survive. She’d learned to be the lady simply to keep her customers coming back for more. She wasn’t pious or virtuous like Emilie had no doubt been. And now, now Adrien wanted to use his mother’s ring, a token which his father had _kept_. Nathalie took a few deep breaths, in and out. No, she and Gabriel had already had a discussion about this. And he had chosen her, he would rather be with her now than have the opportunity to go back and be with her again. He was moving on, and he was doing it with her. The important thing would be not to push him, or overreact as her emotions so screamed at her to do. Emilie was an important part of his life, and of his heart. For all intents and purposes, Emilie has been Gabriel’s first love just as Gabriel was Nathalie’s.

“You’re upset, aren’t you?” Gabriel asked, “That I kept it.”

“No, no,” Nathalie shook her head, “I’m just… I don’t think I’m feeling incredibly rational at the moment. It’s just, there are times when I feel her ghost all around me, reminding me that I am about as opposite a person from her as one can get. And it just… I start to foolishly doubt you. I’m not making much sense, am I?”

“Who said emotions had to make sense?” Gabriel asked in response. He sighed, “I didn’t want to keep this from you, and I knew how much it was liable to hurt. But I thought it would hurt more if it came from someone other than me. That ring I had crafted specifically for Emilie. With her palette and demeanor the heirloom simply didn’t seem to fit. I wanted something to symbolize I was marrying her out of love, and not tradition. Adrien always admired the rings Emilie and I wore. It was his dream to ask for them once he was old enough to get married. And I gave them to him because I felt ready to let go. I love Emilie, but I don’t need her the way I thought I did for so many years. She’s with the angels in heaven, and I can’t keep her tethered to me anymore than I could keep Adrien locked up in this house.”

Nathalie’s eyes flitted to his left hand. And for the first time she noticed that his ring finger was bare. Never, not even when he had told he he loved her, had he ever taken that ring off. As time had passed and they were together more and more often, he took it off when they were intimate. But he kept it close at hand like a talisman of some kind. To know that he had finally let go of it… it was nearly as big a shock as when he told her Adrien had asked after Emilie’s ring in the first place.

“I, I don’t know what to say,” Nathalie let her hands rest demurely in her lap.

Gabriel chuckled, “I was hoping you might have some words left,”

“Why is that?” Nathalie asked him.

“Because,” he slid off the couch, and dropped to one knee. Taking her hands in his own he continued, “I want to ask you something.”

She hardly dared breathe. Gabriel cleared his throat, and from his pocket he pulled a small pouch. He opened it and deposited the contents into her hand. Two rings, one plain and unadorned, the other ancient looking in taste. They were a matching set.

“Nathalie,” Gabriel began, “These rings have been in my family for generations. I never wanted to give them to Emilie, because I felt as though I would have been doing it for tradition instead of love. But I want to give you this ring, and invite you into my world, to stay with me and become a part of this ring’s history. What I’m trying to say is,” and he drew her hand close to his heart, “Nathalie Sancoeur, will you marry me?”

Nathalie opened her mouth to respond, but no words would come out. She was absolutely overcome with emotion. So many women from the lower class would have leapt at the chance and here she was, unable to say a thing. Tears of joy began welling in her eyes, and one broke free, racing down her cheek and landing with a silent plop in Gabriel’s hand. He looked… was he nervous? How could he be nervous? Nathalie had thought her feelings were obvious, especially when Adrien had teased an impending proposal with the portrait remark just a short time ago. And despite how she opened and closed her mouth, trying to get her throat to make the sounds, the words he wanted to hear and she wanted to say, nothing would come out. So in the end, she had to speak with her actions, which involved nearly tackling him to the floor. She rained kisses all over his face, her happy declaration of “Yes!” a litany he never wanted to end. Her grasp around him was tight, and Gabriel struggled to return them to a sitting position. He managed to separate from her enough to bring out her ring and slide it onto her trembling hand. They kissed, and kissed, and kissed. And suddenly they remembered that they were in the front sitting room. Gabriel swept her up in his arms and began carting her off to the upper levels of his home where they might have some privacy. Along the way, they ran into Nooroo and instructed the butler that no callers for either of them were to be admitted for the rest of the day.

MLB

“Remind me again how we got talked into this?” Nino asked Alya as they all stood around the sitting room in Adrien’s townhouse.

Marinette and Alya were now at double the risk if they were discovered, because the former had insisted she wanted to help save her friend. And that meant going in disguise. Specifically, going in disguise as young men. They had appropriated shirts, breeches, and other clothing items from their sweethearts. Ones that no longer fit the young noblemen and with just a bit of tailoring from Marinette they suited the young ladies perfectly. Tikki hadn’t necessarily agreed with how the plan was being implemented, but supported Marinette’s conviction to help her friend and had aided both ladies with binding their chests so as to appear more uniformly flat.

“Remember,” she instructed, “This binding is not made for extremely strenuous activity. And if it comes loose, you have no corset to protect you under the shirts. Be careful,”

“Because,” Alya replied bringing everyone back to the present, “Marinette is perhaps one of the most cunningly innocent ladies in existence. And when she asks you for help it’s almost impossible to say no.”

“This is a dumb idea,” Plagg scowled as he watched them from his leaning position against the door jamb, arms crossed and brow furrowed, “Adrien, why are you going along with this? Couldn’t you have hired some people to take care of this? What about your reputation?”

“Since when have you ever cared about my reputation Plagg?” Adrien quirked a brow, “And don’t worry. Adrien won’t be going anywhere,”

“Oh no,” Plagg groaned, “That isn’t what Chat Noir’s for!”

“What is he for if not to help me do what I want and remain out of sight?” Adrien countered, slipping his mask over his face and tying the ribbons as tightly as he dared. He messed up his hair and clipped in the false ears, matching perfectly with his black and green outfit.

Nino was dressed in shades of green, including a green cloak which -while the hood was down now- he would refuse to remove all evening. Marinette and Alya were going as male versions of their whorehouse selves. The former’s signature pigtails eschewed for the slightly longer singular tale tied at the base of her neck. Alya chose to wear a dowdy brown wig with a similar style, solely to hide her otherwise unusual brown hair. Still, hopefully no one would notice the similarities between Renarde and Rena, or between Ladybug Monseigneur Scarabée.

“Ready to go Renarde? Scarabée? Carapace?” Chat asked. Their masks were donned and cloaks and jackets were thrown over their bodies. With one last look about the room the group filed out the door and into the waiting carriage.

Marinette felt a twinge of nostalgia at the sight of the brothel in its prime. For so long this had been her home, and while she had never liked not having a choice as to the lifestyle she would invariably have ended up in, she’d understood why the women did what they did. And acknowledged that Madame treated her girls far better than most others. They entered in through the front door and were greeted with the sounds and smell of bacchanalian pursuits. Marinette certainly didn’t miss this part. Chat Noir and Carapace did the talking for her and Renarde arranging for girls to come and herd them upstairs. There they had their coinage exchanged for a very particular service. The girls propositioned the guards, saying that as a reward Madame had asked them to take care of the men who were doing such a good job with her daughter. And that with the brothel already open for the evening Kagami wouldn’t dare leave her rooms for fear of being mistaken for a worker. It worked like a charm. Those girls were better than most of the actresses at the Opera Populaire. Then again, most of these girls had to act far more convincingly for their audience. When the guards were in with their girls and it was more than clear what had started behind the closed doors, Marinette drew out one final momento from her time here at the brothel. As Kagami’s childhood friend, neither wanted to be barred from one another. Therefore, Kagami -under the pretense of having “lost” the key to her room one time- had given Marinette the original while she had her mother make a copy. One that Marinette had kept all this time, never having had occasion to use it before now.

With her breath held in fear and anticipation Marinette slid it into the lock and turned. The tumblers rolled in their cage and the door opened. Hesitantly Marinette poked her head inside, Kagami sat there on the bed. In the dark, staring at nothing. Perhaps, mentally, she wasn’t even present. Quickly, Marinette and Alya slipped inside and shut the door behind them with a soft click. They had to hurry, whatever the circumstances. It wasn’t entirely clear how long those guards would last with those girls. And there was no guarantee they’d be too exhausted to remain in bed with them all night.

“Kagami,” Marinette whispered, “Kagami snap out of it.”

Kagami jolted, clearly having been deep in thought. Her eyes narrowed in the faint light of the moon pouring through the window, “Who are you two?”

“It’s us,” Marinette quickly replied, “Marinette and Alya. We’re here to help you escape.”

Kagami’s heart began beating at a frantic pace within her chest. Freedom? Truly? After so long of nothing but the same four walls and maybe the privy if she was escorted there? They were risking so much for her.

“Where would I go?” Kagami shook her head, more practical side swooping in to ruin the moment, “Mother won’t stop looking for me if she finds out I’m gone.”

“True,” Marinette replied, “But how long do you think that’ll be?”

“When they open the door to bring me a meal?” Kagami shot back.

“Just write a missive saying your stomach isn’t feeling well and you don’t want to take any meals for the time being,” Alya suggested, “Leave the note under the door and it’ll buy us more time. At least until lunch.”

“And what if they come to check on me anyways?” Kagami raised a brow.

Quickly Alya glanced around the room. And when she saw what she needed she got straight to work. By the time she was done there was a frighteningly realistic looking figure lying beneath the covers. It was as terrifying as it was impressive that she knew how to do that. And when she was done she urged Kagami and Marinette to grab a few days worth of basic clothing and some shoes and throw them into a traveling bag. Renarde would escape with it under his cloak, and on the way alert Carapace and Chat Noir. While one of them made certain Madame was occupied in the backroom the other would help sneak Kagami out of the house. Such went some of the best laid plans. But surprisingly, despite everyone’s doubts they managed to pull it off.

Kagami was freed and in their midst in the carriage. She heaved a sigh of relief. Freedom. She finally had freedom. But to protect this precious new gift she was being sent to live with Alya’s family for the time being. They weren’t informed of the situation proper, only that Kagami was escaping a terrible situation at home and was appealing to them for help. The Cesaires hadn’t been able to say no. And just to be doubly safe, she couldn’t leave the house. It was, in a sense, trading one prison for another, but at least the newer one would be bigger. At the moment, Kagami would take what she could get.

MLB

“How on earth do you do this?” Lila groaned, feeling nauseous under the rocking of the ship. They were maybe two weeks into their journey. And the captain hadn’t said how long it would take them for certain, just that if the weather stayed on their side it would be within the month. And then of course, there was the journey from the southern coast to Paris. Likely a combination of carriages and inns. From what she had been told, one of the female sailors would be traveling with them just to assure Lila of her safety. Not that she was particularly worried, Luka didn’t so much as notice her if she didn’t make an effort to speak. And most days she was too sick to do even that.

“Years of practice,” Luka responded. They were standing at the helm. Though he trusted his crew, he apparently didn’t trust Lila, as she was to remain by him or with Rose at all times. Apparently though sweet, the ship’s doctor was quite fearsome and not as naive as most people might make her out to be. Lila didn’t know why they even bothered, they were too far out in the waters for her to make any attempt at escaping and the journey they’d charted meant no stops for supplies anywhere, which meant even less of an opportunity to cause mischief.

Lila sighed. For all that she’d heard of thrilling tales of dangers and exploits of daring do, the pirate’s life was surprisingly boring. It was just… ocean, ocean as far as the eye could see. Of course, she supposed if she actually had something to do it wouldn’t be as bad. But Captain Luka had already said that she wouldn’t be any help since she had no experience as a sailor. Lila was getting huffy from the boredom.

“Isn’t there anything I can do?” she asked him, “I’m bored!”

“Do you know how to navigate?” Luka asked.

“Well, no, but-”

“Can you tie a proper maritime knot? Know how to keep a proper lookout? Climb the rigging? Tie the sash? Man the rudder? Do you even know the maritime directions?”

“I… I… Of course I do!” Lila replied haughtily, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder and folding her arms.

Luka smirked, “Alright then,” he said easily, too easily, “Go to the stern of the ship, then the stem, and then follow to the leeward side of the ship. Prove to me you know what you’re doing and I’ll give you something to do.”

Lila hadn’t exactly expecting him to make her prove it right here, right now. She assumed she might have some time to snoop around the study so she wasn’t called out on her lie, “I…” she began uneasily.

His smirk grew, “Don’t worry about it,” he returned to watching the horizon through his spyglass. Your family isn’t from sailing stock, there’s no shame in admitting you don’t know something. I’d prefer you be honest, because bluffing won’t affect just you or me. If I had trusted you with something and you were ill-equipped to handle the duties, you could threaten all of our lives. The crew of a ship needs to work together, and find their rhythm. My sister has been sailing with the former pirate king for years. And she’s run this crew as tight as any captain would. They know their duties, but you’re not one of my crew. You’re a guest, an unwilling one perhaps, but a guest nonetheless. Don’t worry, we’ll be back on dry land soon enough.”

“And then what?” Lila asked, “I get to be jostled around in a carriage for too many hours a day?”

“I’ve heard you ride, perhaps we can make a tradeoff if it would please you.”

“You’re being awfully accommodating for a pirate.”

“Who said a pirate couldn’t also be a gentleman?” Luka asked. Suddenly, he spotted something through his glass and gave out orders in a language that sounded like French, but Lila honestly had no idea what he was saying. When he was done he grabbed Lila by the arm and retreated back to his cabin.

“Whatever you do, stay in this room. And if the door starts to be pounded at, find a hiding place.”

“Where would I hide?” Lila asked, suddenly fearful. Were they being attacked?

Luka showed her to his armoire, “There’s a false panel in the back there, and a small room beyond it. If it gets too loud out there, hide and don’t come out until I or my sister come for you.”

“What’s happening?” Lila asked.

“Nothing to us, with any luck,” Luka smiled, “In fact, if all goes well we’ll be landing in Paris with enough gold to make the whole journey twice over.”

“What are you going to do?”

“What we pirates do best,” Luka replied as he headed back through the door, “We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot.” and as he face his crew he muttered, “Drink up me hearties, yo ho!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know how you guys are enjoying the story. The end is just around the corner, so I want to thank you all once again for your continue love and support of this story. I appreciate it so much. Until next time everyone


	20. Culmination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like the title said, everything comes to a head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah... I know it's been like three months but this has been a labor of love you guys. Between the end of the semester, personal stuff and a general lack of inspiration for how to get to my desired end I know it took a while and all I can say is thank you all for being so patient. Despite the chapter's title this is NOT the end. Technically, I still have an epilogue I need to write, but the main tension of the story is over and all that's left is some feel good fluff. Hope you enjoy!

A week. That was about how long Kagami was able to stay hidden with the Cesaires. She should have known, everyone longed to patron her mother’s brothel. It was unsurprising that she would have been able to bribe the police into interrogating every possible accomplice to the kidnapping. They knew Lord Adrien Agreste had helped sponsor her debut, so they investigated his friends and their friends. Honestly it was more surprising that they lasted a week without incident, given all that. But Kagami knew the moment Mrs. Cesaire appeared in her borrowed room with nothing but sadness in her eyes, it was over.

Kagami had said she would only come willingly if any trumped up charges of kidnapping brought against the Cesaires or her friends were dropped. She knew her mother, and her mother thought nothing ruining the lives of other people if it got her what she wanted in the end. And her friends had only been trying to help her. But they all should have known it was inevitable. The wedding was to proceed as planned, and Kagami was back to being sequestered in her room while preparations were being made. Except, she was granted a bit of a reprieve, she was allowed to go outside so long as she had an armed escort. Even during the meetings, scarce as they were, with her fiance.

“Are you perhaps having second thoughts about all this?” Jalil asked her once, as the date for their wedding loomed closer and closer, hanging like a guillotine over Kagami’s neck.

The Japanese girl glanced back over her shoulder, where her bodyguard waited with his concealed and unconcealed weapons. She couldn’t fight him, and she couldn’t incapacitate her unwanted companion without having to fight him either, so she was stuck.

“Why would you ask that?” Kagami deflected, “We both know there’s no love lost between us. And we’re already in agreement,”

“I’ve heard rumours,” Jalil replied, “That you ran away from home. Is the prospect of marrying me really so unappealing?”

“Does it really matter what my answer is?” Kagami asked in response, “I am here now. The wedding is upcoming. There is nothing to be done for any of that.”

“You sound upset,”

“I’m not upset,” she was cold and numb, but not upset, “You already made the arrangements with my mother. Everything is already set into motion. I will not give any credence to the idea that I ran away, but I have to admit I’ve felt a little… confined these past few weeks.”

“Confined, how so?”

“My… my mother believes in total purity, as ironic as that sounds,” Kagami quickly thought up, “She doesn’t want anything to lead me into temptation. Nor does she think that me being around at operation hours is good for either myself or the health of her customers. I’ve been… sequestered for the last little bit, and I suppose I simply got tired of staring at the same four walls all day. I snuck out to the roof for a bit of air and unfortunately someone took that moment to check up on me and assumed I had run away.”

“Do you often do that?” Jalil asked, “Sneaking up to roofs, I mean.”

“Only when the occasion calls for it,” Kagami gave a wan smile, “You’re a good man Jalil. But I can’t help but feel you’d be a better one if you had given up on this whole idea.”

“So you  _ are _ having second thoughts about it,” Jalil remarked.

“What good is it to anyone if marriage is about what one can give the other that isn’t love?” Kagami asked, “What use is status in a marriage when it’s just the two of you?”

“But that’s just it,” Jalil argued, “It’s never just the two of you. There’s necessities for living. Nothing comes for free or for barter. You need to have money to make money in order to live. I have some, but in order to go back to Rome I needed more.”

“Putting aside the matter of love then,” Kagami folded her arms and looked at him, “What about pride? How do you think I might feel knowing that my husband is lover to someone else, and that all of society knows it too? The whispers effect  _ me _ , not you. They would gossip about how I couldn’t satisfy you, how any time you return home it’s simply to beget an heir. Or worse, they would pity me, and I  _ hate _ being pitied. And if you do not care enough about my pride, what about that of Miss Rossi, hm? How do you think  _ she _ would feel, knowing she could never be more than your open secret? Knowing that people will talk about how loose and dishonorable she is? Putting doubts in her head that you married me simply for the money, but you’re with her because she’s young and beautiful and a whore? And how once her beauty has run its course, you’ll already be looking for another to replace her with, hm?”

“What?” Jalil looked shocked, “No, no they wouldn’t do that-”

“I have seen the names my mother’s girls get called. You think a jealous wife hasn’t stormed my home in search of her wayward husband? Hasn’t  _ attacked _ one of mother’s girls for simply doing what she needs to in order to survive? And you want to subject that type of life onto a girl you supposedly care about?”

“I do care about her!” Jalil protested.

“Do you now?” Kagami asked, “Because if you do, then why are you marrying me?”

Jalil opened his mouth. Kagami could already see the protest coming. He needed the rest of her money to help get him back to the woman he loved. But at last she appeared to reach him, because he halted, and visibly deflated. He stopped, and dropped to his knees.

“What do I do?” Jalil asked, “I can’t lose her, but I couldn’t do that to her either.”

“Cancel the wedding,” Kagami said, “It isn’t right to either of us that should have to suffer because of love we cannot grasp. If you truly love Lila, do whatever it takes to get back to her. Make money on your own if you have to, I’m sure you can find someone who will help support your cause. And if she truly loves you the way you believe she does, she will wait for you.”

“But the wedding?” Jalil asked, “What do we do about the wedding?”

“You need to tell my mother you cannot go through with it,” Kagami placed a hand on his arm, “You  _ have _ to, she won’t believe me if I tell her.”

“We can’t do that now,” Jalil sounded aghast, “Everything’s already been prepared. It’s happening too soon. No, no it’s simply not possible.”

“What other option do we have?”

“No,” Jalil looked nervous, “We have to go through with it,”

“What?” Kagami was aghast, “You can’t be serious, have my words not reached you at all?”

“No!” Jalil pulled at his hair, “We need to go through with the show. We won’t sign the certificate, and without it, we’re not legally married.”

“Why bother going through all the trouble?”

“Everything has already been set into motion,” Jalil sighed, “The least we can do is give them what they’re coming for.”

“Are you sure it will work?” Kagami asked, kind of skeptical of such a plan.

“We can’t call off the wedding now,” Jalil shook his head, “If your mother wouldn’t believe you if you said I wanted to call it off, I doubt you would get out unscathed if  _ I _ told her. She’d think you did something to convince me,”

“But I did,” Kagami pointed out.

“And if she knows that, you’ll be punished. You already got the police involved for going up to the roof. Lack of love or not, I’m not going to let you be punished for helping me see how selfish I was being. You’re a good friend,”

“You think I’m your friend?”

“Can’t I?”

“I’d much rather have you as a friend than a husband,” Kagami admitted.

“So we’re in agreement then?” Jalil asked, “Go through with the ceremony for formality’s sake. I’ll talk to the preacher, he’s an old family friend, and let him know what’s going on. I’ll send a letter to let you know everything’s been taken care of, alright?”

Kagami nodded, “Thank you Jalil,” she looked back to her bodyguard, “I should go now. Fiance or not mother will be furious if I spend too much time alone with you.”

“Alone? We have a chaperone,”

“And she runs a brothel, believe me when I say there are ways around a chaperone that she knows all about.”

“Are you certain you want to do this?”

“I love my mother,” Kagami sighed, “I do. And all my life, I’ve tried to make her proud, to bring honor for my family. But what use is honor if it doesn’t bring happiness? I’m done living under the fear of her disappointment. If her love is conditional, then it was never love at all.”

MLB

“Kagami was allowed to send a letter,” Marinette remarked as she looked over the sealed envelope.

“I told you that plan was risky,” Nathalie shook her head helplessly as the young lady read through the letter, “You’re incredibly lucky you weren’t charged with anything. I’m not sure even Gabriel would have been able to get you all out of it if you had.”

“So nice to know you have such faith in me,” Gabriel remarked as he came up behind her and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“It’s not about having faith in you,” Nathalie replied, turning another page in her book, “It’s about knowing how easily the gendarmes are bought and how vindictive Madame can be. Did I tell you she nearly threatened me when I tried to leave?”

“She did?” Gabriel’s grip on her tensed.

“Mm,” Nathalie hummed, eyes quickly scanning the text and turning the page again, “I told her if she tried to stop me I would simply tell the girls the salary they received had been noticeably lighter than it should have been.”

“She’s been stealing from her own business?”

“Not from her own business, from her workers,” Nathalie corrected, “I noticed a long time ago, but you know Madame, she’s conniving and crafty. Not a bad sort, considering what she does, but Kagami’s been poised to make her entrance into society for a while. Madame has simply been preparing for it. I took notice and decided to document it, even gaining access to the books she’s been cooking. It’s the only reason she let me go without a fight. I feel a little bad, but she never would have let me go otherwise, and I wasn’t about to let you buy my freedom.”

“I see…” Gabriel replied, “I- I know you’re already aware of this but… I knew her,”

“I know,” Nathalie rebutted, “There’s hardly a respectable gentleman in Paris who hasn’t. I’m not upset to know that, at you or at anyone. I’m upset that society allows it to continue at the youth, freedom, and happiness of others. If lying on your back for money is what you aspire to in life, than by all means-” Nathalie shrugged, “I’ve told you once, I’m not sorry for what I’ve done. I can’t regret doing what I had to do to stay alive.”

“I know,” Gabriel nodded, giving her a reassuring squeeze, “You did a lot to protect yourself, and the ones you love.”

“Speaking of,” Nathalie turned back to Marinette, “What does the letter say?”

“It’s not a letter,” Marinette replied, “It’s a wedding invitation. A personal one, I don’t believe it; she’s really going through with this.”

“I highly doubt Madame’s giving her much of a choice,” Nathalie murmured, “She’s wanted to infiltrate the upper echelons of society for years. With Adrien having supported her daughter’s coming out she sees this as Kagami’s big chance, and by extension, hers.”

“Oh wait,” Marinette remarked, “There’s writing on the back of it,” she flipped the other page over and scanned the text, reading it aloud, “‘Everything will be alright, do not worry. I’ve got it all under control.’ Now what does that mean?”

“It means you should stop worrying. Kagami is a capable girl, if she says she has a handle on things I would be inclined to believe her.”

“But-”

“Marinette, please,” Nathalie silenced her former charge, “You have already tried intervening once. You nearly got yourself and several others arrested as a result. I know you simply want to help, but sometimes it’s best to realize when the situation is out of your hands, the same way I had to when you were determined to become Ladybug.”

“I-” Marinette wanted to protest, but when Nathalie brought up that she had had to do the same thing in a similar situation, the younger girl simply couldn’t find it in her to argue anymore.

Adrien took that moment to make his appearance, “Hello princess,” he greeted his fiancee, kissing her on the cheek, “Father, Nathalie,” he nodded to the other two, not leaving Marinette’s side, “How have the days been treating you?”

“Well enough,” Gabriel replied, “Have you been looking into preparations?”

“I’ve been a bit distracted, to be honest,” Adrien replied, “Chloe’s utterly beside herself with wedding preparations. And Lady Audrey, while not happy with the match, is determined that her daughter’s wedding be unmatched by any other this century and Chloe’s been about ready to tear her hair out with frustration. She’s been stopping by every so often to complain. And before you worry, Pollen has always been with her.”

The adults hummed bemusedly in response.

“Anyways, what’s all the fuss about Princess?” Adrien asked Marinette. She wordlessly handed him the invitation with Kagami’s note. He read through it and then handed it back, saying, “Well, I guess that’s that.”

“Are you tired of my desire to see her happy too?” Marinette asked.

“I do want her to be happy,” Adrien argued, “But I don’t know her as well as you do. Still, if she says she’s got a handle on it I’d be inclined to believe her.”

“And why’s that?”

“She handed Luka’s a-” Adrien cut himself off as his father shot him a look, “Behind to him. He was under the impression she was Ladybug and tried to help me out by challenging her to a duel. Which he promptly lost, Kagami is something else. I think she can handle herself.”

“Did he really do that?” Marinette tilted her head back and looked at him curiously.

“Yep,” Adrien affirmed, “Though I only recently got the story as to why he’d done it in the first place.”

“Luka always was headstrong and reckless,” Gabriel remarked, “Not nearly as bad as the young Lord Lahiffe, but do you now understand why I didn’t want you hanging around them?”

“Shouldn’t have sent me to the same school as them then,” Adrien parried.

“Oh Gabriel hush,” Nathalie placed a hand atop his, “Adrien’s friends are good men. If you find them bad influences it’s only because you weren’t the ones to find them for him. He’s a grown man, you cannot keep dictating his entire life.”

Gabriel sighed, “I sincerely wish I could have met you earlier,” he told her, “Perhaps you would have saved both Adrien and myself a good ton of unnecessary grief.”

“As if you would have been open to me at all back then,” Nathalie teased, “Grieving as you were. But I don’t mind, I probably wouldn’t have been open to the thought of a serious suitor anyways.”

“Wait a moment,” Adrien cut in, suddenly noticing something about the hand Nathalie had placed atop his father’s, “Is that a ring on your finger Nathalie?”

Nathalie started, then smiled with a dusty blush kissing her cheeks, “Yes,” she admitted, “Your father proposed not too long ago. And I said yes,”

“When was this?” Adrien asked.

“When you asked for your mother’s ring,” Gabriel asked, “I assume you went and immediately presented it to Marinette and she’s merely been keeping it safe until now.”

Marinette turned to her fiance, “That was your mother’s ring?” she asked.

“Yes,” Adrien nodded, “Father had it specially made for my mom. Nathalie, you’re not… upset about that are you?”

“Why would I be?” Nathalie asked, “It’s a legacy of love that your father gave to your mother. If I had taken that, I wouldn’t help but feel as though it comes across as I’m trying to replace her. I don’t want to replace Lady Emilie, Adrien. Surely you understand that, don’t you?”

“I do,” Adrien sighed, “Believe me Nathalie, I’m not… upset. Or maybe I am, I don’t…” he huffed, “I think I need a moment. If you’ll all excuse me.”

Adrien strode out of the room almost as quickly as he had come in it. Nathalie and Gabriel glanced at each other before staring in the direction Adrien had gone. Marinette let her mouth drop open in concern. Abruptly, Nathalie stood.

“I’ll go talk with him,” she declared.

“I’ll go with you,” Gabriel offered, but Nathalie stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“No,” she shook her head, “This is a conversation  _ I _ need to have with him, alone. I have no doubt you’ll need to have one with him too at some point, but for now -let me.”

“If you say so,” Gabriel nodded, letting her go free. And then he was left with his future daughter-in-law, and neither of them really had anything to talk about.

Nathalie found Adrien out in the garden, staring at the statue of his mother. Really, she would have to speak to Gabriel about all these reminders at some point. She in no way wanted to take Emilie’s place, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be confronted by a reminder of the former Lady Agreste every time she turned around. She would prefer her new home, this new chapter of her life, to remain free of ghosts -metaphorical or otherwise. Maybe she could convince Gabriel this would be better suited in a country estate? Or perhaps even replace Emilie’s original monument with this one. Oh well, now was not the time to be thinking of such things.

“Adrien,” she said softly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder as she broke him free of his own musings, “I’m certain you’re in a bit of an upheaval right now-”

“You have absolutely no idea,” Adrien shook his head, “And I’m sorry about being curt Nathalie, it’s just… I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. I was just as affected by mom’s death as Father was and yet… he shut me out. Our relationship’s been strained but I still love him and I want him to be happy. And if you make him happy then I should be okay with that. But,” he shrugged, “Part of me just…  _ isn’t _ , and to be honest I hate that I can’t be wholeheartedly happy for my father. It’s been  _ years _ ,”

“You feel guilty because part of you wants him to keep wallowing in his misery,” Nathalie surmised, “Because if he does that, it means he isn’t moving on, isn’t letting go, isn’t  _ forgetting _ , right? And, I think you’re upset because I succeeded in helping him do that when you weren’t enough. It’s a feeling of inadequacy, this is a man you’ve known your whole life, whom you love very dearly, and you could do nothing to help ease his pain. Years go by and yet this new woman comes in and in a shorter time than you’ve tried, she’s able to succeed. Not only that, she’s romantically involved him and that’s causing some anger at the alleged disloyalty, right?”

“I don’t know,” Adrien childishly but half-heartedly kicked at the ground with his show, “Maybe?”

“As callous as this likely sounds the vows are, ‘til death do us part’ Adrien,” Nathalie told him, “Do you think your mother would have wanted your father to grieve as long as he had? Keeping everyone away, including you in the process?”

“No,”

“I’m not claiming to know your mother, but from everything I’ve heard all she ever wanted was for the ones she loved to be happy. Your father loved her more than I think he had ever loved anyone before. Even now, he still loves her, that’s why the pictures and reminders remain. And I don’t want to change that, er,” she paused, “for the most part anyways.”

“For the most part?”

“I don’t mind the portraits, but the statue? It’s a bit… much, don’t you think?”

That made Adrien snort with laughter, despite how much he didn’t want to. She had a point, even as a young man, Adrien had thought having a statue commissioned in the likeness of one’s late spouse was sort of excessive.

Nathalie gave a wan smile, “I would never try to erase her presence from your father’s life, or yours. My intention is not usurp her place in anyone’s heart, nor change things so it was as though she was never there. Trying to erase Lady Emilie from this house, that would be like trying to erase my own sordid past. It’s as much a part of my life as Emilie was a part of yours and your father’s. My only regret is never having been able to meet her to confirm all I say, because I know hearing such words from someone who never knew her comes across as presumptuous, doesn’t it?”

“It could, if it were anyone but you,” Adrien admitted. Nathalie had a very matter-of-fact way of putting things, and while she was conscious of how cold she could come across as she said them, she only said them because she knew them to be irrevocably true. Adrien sighed, “I’m sorry Nathalie. I know how much you mean to Father, and I should be happy for you-”

“You don’t have to be our biggest supporter Adrien,” Nathalie cupped his cheek, “I wouldn’t ask you to bury your feelings like that. I’m only asking you respect the decision your father and I have made. Don’t worry, we aren’t rushing into marriage by a long shot. We probably won’t get married until long after you and Marinette do, and if we do, it won’t be anything grand or lavish.”

“Why not?” Adrien asked, “Isn’t it your first wedding?”

“And my only, if I’m so fortunate,” Nathalie parried, “Adrien, my whole life I’ve been put on display for the pleasure of other people. I had to do it, I didn’t have a choice. But don’t believe for even a second I didn’t take every moment of shame and despair and turn it into a way to better myself. I wanted to remain uncaught, but your father managed to sway my heart. I don’t want the money or the title, I just want him. It’s enough for us both to know that. But, that isn’t what we came out here to talk about. Do you resent me? Do you really believe I would try to put your mother out of sight and mind in this household?”

“I resent you, but I know I shouldn’t,” Adrien admitted, “You’re not a bad person, you’re… you’re exactly what Father needs-”

“Again, you’re upset it couldn’t be you who helped him.” Nathalie finished, “Adrien, let’s take a moment and think things through. You’ve had Luka and Nino, your whole life practically, yes?”

“Yes,”

“So when Lady Emilie was taken from you, who did you go to?”

“Luka and Nino.”

“Who does your father have?”

“I-” Adrien paused, “Nooroo I guess. But, Father doesn’t seem to keep anyone close.”

“That’s precisely it,” Nathalie nodded, “Your father doesn’t like admitting he needs people, because if something happens to them, even something that’s out of his control, he feels the loss far more keenly. And since he keeps himself so closed off, he doesn’t have someone to support him when he needs it. And you, you’re very like your mother, which makes the pain all the worse for him. He can’t open up to you because he’s afraid of losing you too. And so he pushed you away. I’ve spoken to Gabriel at length about this, maybe it’s time you spoke with him too?”

Adrien stared at her for a long moment, “I wish you had been here when all this first happened,” he told her, “So many wasted years,”

“We can’t change the past,” Nathalie told him, “Only the future. So don’t allow him or yourself to waste any more years. And don’t think I will ever try to keep your father from you Adrien. You’ll be expanding your family, but never forget you always have each other, alright?”

Adrien smiled, “Thank you Nathalie.”

“And for the record,” Nathalie’s voice stopped him as he began to walk away, “I had someone else who needed me back then, someone who needs you now.”

Adrien nodded, and returned to the house. Nathalie turned to the statue and sighed, “I think, Lady Emilie,” she said to the unmoving visage, “It’s time you and I had a talk as well.”

MLB

“Are we there yet?” Lila complained, “I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I want to bathe.”

“We won’t be there for another few days, should the sea decide to favor us,” Luka replied, still examining the horizon with his spyglass, “The route might be a simple one, but the sea can be quite merciless. And even if we make it to shore soon, we still have to get to Paris Mademoiselle Rossi.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“Walking,” Luka deadpanned. He paused a moment to enjoy the horrified look on her face before correcting himself, “That was a joke my dear. Naturally I’ve already taken measures to ensure that suitable transportation awaits us. We’ll be traveling by horse,”

“Horse?” Lila grimaced, “Please tell me that means you have a carriage waiting for me and my things.”

“You seem to be under the impression I had time to kidnap more than you and a small trunk of clothing,” Luka replied, “It only took about two weeks including preparations to go and get you, and I only told you a month because there’s no predicting what the sea is like. You don’t need much more than that, especially not with the wedding so close at hand.”

“Wedding,” Lila breathed. She remembered him mentioning it when she’d first woken up onboard the ship, but  Luka hadn’t mentioned it since and Lila hadn’t asked. The fact that Jalil was really getting married… she didn't want to think about it. Naturally she knew it would have happened, she had turned him away, he wasn’t wealthy or titled enough to broker a match with her father. And her father wasn’t the only one he’d have to go through to get to her. And Lila couldn’t have eloped with him. Much as she might have wanted to, her father would have started an international conflict, all to get his bartering tool back. And now? Wasn’t that what had happened anyways? Lila had to wonder what her sacrifice had been for if it ended up she was going to Paris anyways, except maybe if she’d gone the first time she would be  _ having _ a wedding, not stopping one.

“I know,” Luka muttered, “Though, from all accounts, he’s only marrying her so that he might have enough money to return to Rome. I wonder why he might want to do that…” he trailed off and gave her a significant glance.

For the first time, in a long time if not perhaps her whole life, Lila felt terrible. Jalil was going through all of this for her. He was marrying someone he didn’t love for her. And she had told what was perhaps the biggest lie she’d ever told. She couldn’t go with him. Lila wasn’t stupid by any means, she knew when she was lying, and she seldom cared if she was. It wasn’t her fault if people believed her lies, not when she only said what she said because she knew it was what they wanted to hear. Her world had taught her early on it was necessary; be a chameleon Lila, tell them what they want to hear, and you can do anything with them. She’d done the same with Jalil, not having any real interest in him in the beginning. It was all because she had been bored and decided to have some fun with her father’s guest. It hadn’t been meant to turn serious, and by the time everything ended, it had been dangerously close to turning out that way. So Lila had done what she did best, she lied. Lila hadn’t gone, not because she couldn’t leave her beloved homeland -though that was a small part of it- no; Lila hadn’t gone because she was afraid. She didn’t  _ want _ to feel the way she felt about Jalil, the way she was supposed to feel about some dashing Italian man who would have money and good looks aplenty, and not a thought or care in his pretty little head. But she hadn’t just lied to Jalil, she’d lied to herself as well. Lila thought, foolishly perhaps, if she remained where she was, continued her life of frivolity and fun, she could pretend that Jalil had never been there at all. That the feelings she’d developed were nothing more than a passing fancy, something easily cured with another good looking man paying attention to her. How wrong she had been. And now? What would happen if they were too late? If Jalil married the girl, what would happen then? Could she really stay with him? Knowingly be his mistress, with the example her father had provided for men like that? Lila was good at lying, but she was done lying to herself, and the truth was that she knew she wasn’t. She wasn’t like her mother, who had stayed with her father instead of risking scandal and leaving him. Lila would rather remain a spinster than subject herself to that. She would rather become a nun than force this, because there was no guarantee they’d bee able to stop it. Fairy tale endings were for fairy tales, they seldom worked out so well in real life. 

And Luka, Luka was worried. He had told no one of this little plan of his. He couldn’t have, it had only occurred to him once he’d received word from Marinette what Kagami was marrying for. Before that, all he’d wanted was to get out, he couldn’t be there to watch her marry someone else. So he’d acquiesced to his mother’s wishes and finally taken up his mantle as ruler of all scourges on the seas. By the time his plan formed any missive he sent wouldn’t have gotten there in time. But it was only now the thought dawned on him, was he really doing this for Kagami’s sake? Or was he doing it for his own? Kagami wasn’t marrying for love, and despite everything that was something Luka always easily saw her doing. But, Kagami was the sort of person who wouldn’t tolerate infidelity, and any man marrying her had to have known that. So what would parading the woman her intended had been involved with before really accomplish? She knew about his past, she knew everything, and yet she was still going along with the marriage. Why would bringing Lila to her change her mind? And more importantly, what was he expecting to happen? That upon seeing the Italian beauty her intended was so besotted with would cause her to go on a tirade? That she would drop everything she had stood for thus far and leave Kubdel? That she would… that she would go with  _ him _ instead? What was wrong with him? Just because Kagami didn’t necessarily want to marry that man meant in no way that she wanted anything more to do with him. Yes, he’d garnered her an in into Society; yes, he’d acted as her bodyguard in such instances; yes, they had shared more than one kiss which made his pulse quicken and his blood heat. And yes; she was the only woman from the land who possessed such natural grace with a blade. But none of that meant anything. He’d met ladies in similar circumstances, noblewomen and those who dreamed of being noblewomen would never settle for the King of thieves and rogues. If it wasn’t Kubdel, it would be another wealthy suitor her mother approved of. Luka spared a glance at his passenger, she looked lost and forlorn, just as much so as he felt. And then, he felt terrible, of course this whole thing impacted not only him, not only Kagami.

“Hey,” he put a hand on her shoulder, “Everything will work itself out in the end.”

Lila sniffed, blinking away tears, “What makes you say that?” she asked.

“I have to have faith,” Luka replied, “If they do go through with everything, I’ll bring you back, if you like. Or you can stay in Paris for a while, I have a friend who probably wouldn’t mind helping out with your lodging.”

“Hmm…” Lila mulled it over, her tone attempting a trace of humor, “Well, I do hear that Paris is the fashion capital of the world. Though, anyone who’s anyone knows that it’s actually Milan.”

“Have you ever been to Milan?”

“Of course,” she sniffed disdainfully and tossed her hair, “Who do you take me for?”

Luka didn’t know how he knew it, but he knew she was lying. Rather than call her out for it though he just smiled and shook his head, “Whatever you say Mademoiselle, whatever you say.”

Lila’s eyes narrowed at him, “I mean it,” she insisted, “I have, my spinster aunt is one of the most fashionable ladies on the peninsula, she lives in Milan and I’ve gone there many times-”

“Look,” Luka cut her off, “Just because I won’t judge you for doing it, doesn’t mean I don’t know you’re lying. I’m not stupid. But frankly, I don’t care, if you want to lie then that’s your own business. However, I have the gut feeling that lying is part of the reason we’re all in this mess, so that might be something for you to consider going forward.”

Lila had the good sense to look chagrined, “Right,” she muttered, casting her gaze away from him, “Force of habit I’m afraid.”

“Well then,” Luka considered, “You might have the makings of a pirate after all.”

Lila’s eyes flew to his, “You really mean that?”

“Aye,”

“That might just be… the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” she mused, “Well, platonically anyways.”

MLB

“So?” Gabriel asked as he settled into bed with Nathalie that night, “How did everything go?”

“You tell me,” Nathalie replied, “Did Adrien come and talk to you?”

“He wanted to,” Gabriel admitted, “But I thought one heart to heart per day would probably be easier on him. You spent quite some time outside after that though, what was going on?”

“I was talking,”

“To whom?”

“Emilie,”

There was a pause after that. Gabriel was clearly trying to both process what she had said and come up with something to say in response. At last he haltingly said, “I… see…”

“I assure you I’m not crazy,” Nathalie made a point of telling him, “Surely you would have figured out long before now if I was.”

“Some people are quite good at hiding such things,” Gabriel remarked, “All the same you are quite correct, I don’t believe you are. But still, why the conversation with my deceased wife?”

“I,” Nathalie sighed, “Look Gabriel, the same way I told Adrien, I will now tell you. It is not my intention to usurp Emilie completely from the house. I understand that you loved her, love her still, and I do not want to erase all trace of her from the house. I explained as much to her, relatively speaking. But surely you can understand how it might make me feel to see a reminder of her at every turn, can’t you? The giant portrait, the statue in the garden, there are more and you know it. I will concede to keeping her portrait, but…”

Gabriel thought it over a moment, “The statue  _ is _ a bit much isn’t it?” he asked, “I admit, I may have been a bit…” at her look he corrected, “Alright, incredibly inebriated when I had it commissioned. If I recall correctly I spent at least the first six months after Emilie’s death drunk and numb. For some reason I thought committing her likeness to memory in every medium I could afford would somehow make the pain of losing her more bearable.”

“And did it?”

“Not in the slightest,” he replied, “If anything it made it worse. Because I had to look at her everywhere I went. Sometimes, it was cathartic, to go out and see her, feel she was still with me. But most times it made me feel hollow inside.”

“How…” Nathalie paused and wondered if she should continue, deciding that talking about it would be better than letting the question hang awkwardly between them, “How… did she die, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Gabriel was silent and Nathalie was quick to continue, “It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me. I just thought that talking about it might help… might help.” she finished lamely.

“No, no,” he said after a moment, “It’s alright. I’m… I’m glad you share an interest in her, it really makes me believe you when you say that you don’t want to erase her from our memories. And, I think it’s time I did talk with someone about it. To put it quite simply, magic.”

“Magic?” Nathalie raised a skeptical brow at him, “Really?”

“Tone down the sarcasm just a touch my dear,” Gabriel slung his arm around her and pulled her into him, “To explain quickly and put it rather mildly, Emilie had always been fascinated with magic. She loved watching magicians perform and absolutely ate up anything with what supposedly had an extraordinary quality about it. She loved collecting mystical artifacts… and that was what caused it, I think.”

“What happened?” Nathalie looked up at him from where she was pillowed against his shoulder.

“She found a brooch,” Gabriel said, eyes and voice far away, “It was made of sapphires and tourmalines, and ironically enough it was in the shape of a peacock. The jeweler had told her it came with quite a story. Here I must confess to masculine ignorance, as I ceased paying attention when she brought it home. Suffice it to say, the jeweler told her it was cursed, and that every previous owner had died younger than expected, all while wearing it. He probably said it to deter her from buying it. Emilie bought it anyways; or rather, it’s more likely she bought it  _ because _ of that story. She brought it home and within half a year she was sick. From what no one could tell, and believe me I tried to find out. I hired the best doctors available from all over Europe. Not one of them could tell me what was wrong with her. Eventually, she slipped away, I buried my wife, and pushed my son away.”

“And the brooch?”

“I had it buried with her,” Gabriel answered, “I think she would have wanted it that way, so it couldn’t hurt anyone else.”

“Oh Gabriel,” Nathalie put a hand to the side of his face, “I’m so sorry.”

“I suppose it could have been worse,” Gabriel replied, “I got twenty years of marriage with her. Twenty years of love, of laughter, all from a marriage that shouldn’t have been so.”

“You told me you married for love,”

“Our marriage was actually arranged,” Gabriel informed her, “Like so many of our class. The only difference was that I took the time to get to know her, and I fell in love with the person I found beneath the upbringing of an upper class lady. The marriage contract had already been drawn up, we already knew we were going to get married, I proposed anyways, with a ring I’d commissioned for her, to tell her I cared about  _ her _ , and not the benefit our families would gain from the match.”

“And what do you think they’d say about me?”

“I’m not particularly inclined to care one way or the other, so it doesn’t matter to me. Does it matter to you, truly?” he asked, “Because you know what society says about paramours joining the upper class.”

“Thankfully Madame’s model of business allowed for some anonymity,” Nathalie let out a mirthless laugh, “with all the makeup and the stage name, no one recognized me when I went out on the street. Though, even without all that I’m not sure they would have anyways. You would be surprised at the number of men who don’t care about names or faces, only a willing body waiting in their bed.”

“Or a particular definition of ‘willing’, anyways,”

“Mmm,” Nathalie hummed.

“How did you end up there?” Gabriel asked, “I know you said you had no other option,”

“I was an orphan, like Marinette,” Nathalie replied, “Lost my parents in a fire. My paternal grandparents were already dead and my maternal ones wanted nothing to do with me.”

“Maternal? Why?”

“They were… well off, from my understanding enough. Not nobility, but close to rich enough to buy a title. And my mother, much like Kagami for Madame, was supposed to be their meal ticket into the upper crust. But my mother fell in love with their stable boy and they eloped. Her parents never forgave her, and when she died they did nothing more than pay for her funeral. Only  _ her _ funeral. My father was lucky enough to have already had thought about this, he had enough for a small ceremony. My mother and he were separated, she was buried in a good plot in a highly sought after cemetery, he was not. With no one left to take care of me I found myself on the streets, nowhere else to go. After three months scrounging for food I gathered intel that someone named Madame Tsurugi was looking for new girls. I managed to find the brothel, and the rest is history.”

“A history of sorrow and lost dreams,” Gabriel muttered quietly.

“No,” Nathalie sighed, “Not all of them. I have you now,”

“Surely you wanted more for your life?” Gabriel looked at her, “A virginal marriage, a husband, children?”

“Ah yes, the only dream women are expected to aspire to,” Nathalie laughed, “I got more of an education being a whore than I ever would have gotten otherwise. And as for those dreams, I have you now. And I raised Marinette, which was a huge hassle in and of itself. But why are you asking about children?”

“I was just curious,”

There was another period of drawn out silence. Nothing uncomfortable, mind, but long enough that Gabriel had almost thought Nathalie had fallen asleep when her quiet voice responded, “Would it please you, to have children?” she asked.

“Is that what you want?” he knew there were ways women in her line of work had for preventing it. He also knew that nothing was effective all the time. And he knew that she never bothered with that when she was with him. Because she trusted him.

“I…” she pondered the notion for a second, “I would not be opposed if we were to be blessed with a child. But I do not think that I actively am wanting for one. There are days when I think of Marinette and only that poor little urchin appears before my eyes. It seems unreal that she’s old enough to marry.”

“I’ve often felt the same in regards to Adrien,” Gabriel mused, “And then I wonder, where did the time go? The answer is always the same, I let it, let him, slip away from me while I was grieving.”

“Seems you both missed each other,” Nathalie remarked, “But if that’s no longer what you want, then it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“Do you think he would be pleased if he were to hear of the idea of a sibling?”

“He’s still trying to come to terms with us darling,” Nathalie soothed, “Give that idea a bit more time to settle before you spring the notion of a sibling on him. Especially when there is no conclusive proof it’s something we need to worry about just yet.”

“Conclusive proof?” he sounded confused. Nathalie sighed,

“I… my ladies’ days are not exactly… they’re not what I would call punctual my dear. And there are several times in which they have been delayed at least a month, perhaps more. There are other factors at play, ones which I’d rather not discuss with you,”

“Why not?”

“It’s just not something that is done, and we’ll leave it at that.”

“Do you think I would abandon you because there are elements of you which may prove somewhat unsavory?” Gabriel asked her pointedly, “That I would leave you with nothing more but a midwife were you to bless me with another child?”

“Did you do that with Emilie?”

“Do you intend to bring her up every time we come to an impasse?” Gabriel asked, “No, for your information I did not leave Emilie all on her own. The Midwife was absolutely furious with me, but I was determined to stay there. It tore me up knowing I could do nothing to aid her, but it would have been much worse simply listening to the screaming from the other side of a locked door. I love you, and thus I will not abandon you.”

“Can you really make that promise Gabriel?” Nathalie asked, “Death comes for everyone, and he might come for me during such a time. What will you do then, I wonder?”

“Speak not of death to me,” Gabriel whispered to her, his voice tight with past pain, “Not when I have only just found life again in you.”

Nathalie sighed, it was sweet, but self-destructive, “You should find life in living, whether I am with you or no. Please, promise me one thing, if you cannot promise me forever, at least promise me that you will go on living, that you will live for yourself; not me, or Emilie, or even Adrien. You must be complete on your own Gabriel, that is all I want for you.”

“My dearest love,” he tilted her head up to face him, even though in the darkness he knew neither of them could really see the other, “I cannot promise that I will, but I promise that I will try.”

Soft lips brushed against his own, “That’s all I ask of you.”

MLB

It had finally come. The day of the wedding was here. Despite a plan already being firmly in place, Kagami couldn’t help the sensation of dread building in the pit of her stomach. Jalil wouldn’t go back on his agreement with her, no he wasn’t that sort of man. Well, she hoped, technically he  _ was _ going back on the arrangement which had been worked out between him and her mother, but that was for a good reason. Then again, money was a good motivator. Kagami slapped herself lightly on the cheeks to break out of dark path her worry was taking her down. On that road led fear and hesitation, she’d already hesitated once, never again. If Jalil reneged on their agreement she would simply have to storm out. With any luck the scandal would cause her mother to disown her, and maybe she could stay with Marinette for a while? From all rumors, the other girl was staying with Nathalie and her lover -who happened to be her fiance’s father- and Nathalie had always been kind to Kagami. It could work. At the very least, it was a backup plan in case things didn’t go as she hoped they should.

The servants bustled about her, readying the preparations. Kagami would be made mostly ready here, and then be transported to the church, where her dress would finally be put on. Her mother wanted no risks being taken, so Kagami would not be going anywhere without some sort of escort accompanying her. Now she wished she hadn’t let Marinette talk her into escaping that time, because her nerves were already on edge, and the countless watchful eyes were not helping.

“Hello my lady,” a bright, cheery blonde servant was the one tailing her now. She was relatively new, from what Kagami had heard. But with all the wedding preparations her mother had greatly accepted the extra help. But, so like her mother, she didn’t even know the girl’s name, only that it had something to do with flowers, “Are you ready for your big day?”

Kagami had to stifle a sigh, “Yes, ah, I’m sorry… I’ve forgotten your name.”

“Oh,” the girl blinked but then smiled again, “Don’t you worry about that,”

“Are you certain?”

“If you really want a name, Ros,” she coughed, “Rosette,” she clarified, “If you don’t mind.”

“Ah, very well then. Rosette,” Kagami nodded, “I suppose I am as ready as I could ever possibly be.”

“Very good then, Jule- Juliet and I will be escorting you to the hall.”

Kagami sighed again, “Very well Rosette, let's get this over with.”

There was no turning back now. Whatever happened, Kagami would face it without hesitation.

“I should be back there with her,” Marinette worried nervously, wringing her hands as she sat in the pew. They were anxiously waiting the ceremony to begin, and the four of them were all sitting together, with Gabriel and Nathalie providing a buffer between Marinette and her beau, “I should be there for her. She needs-”

“Marinette,” Nathalie calmed the girl out of the corner of her mouth, otherwise looking bored and unaffected. She did make a perfect compliment to Gabriel, all things considered, “Kagami has made her decision. And we both know all you would try to do is convince her not to go through with it. You cannot dictate the love lives of other people, which is exactly what Gabriel had to learn as well.”

“In my defense,” Gabriel interjected, “It was the Bourgeois family who wanted an alliance with our family. I just wanted to hear Andre stop pestering me about it.”

“You still nearly forced Adrien into an unwanted arranged marriage,” Nathalie pointed out, “and let’s not so quickly forget how  _ we _ became acquainted darling,”

“Of course my dear,” he discreetly raised her hand and placed a kiss against it, lowering the appendage but not letting go, lacing their fingers together instead.

Marinette caught Adrien’s eyes and he shrugged helplessly. His father hadn’t acted like that since his mother had died. Even  _ he _ was having a bit of trouble adjusting to it. On the one hand, it was nice, seeing his father genuinely smile again. On the other, it was weird as anything to see his father acting so youthful and happy. Adrien had simply gotten used to the grave look which had become his father’s default expression whenever Adrien had returned or visited his childhood home.

In the dressing room, Kagami was still not yet settled into her dress. And she was beginning to be annoyed by the maids flocking her, even hindering her from preparing for the ceremony. Especially their trivial excuses,

“Oh my lady,” Rosette would place her hands on her shoulders and urge her to sit back down, “Why don’t you take a few moments more to breathe? This is such a big day after all,”

“I would love to,” Kagami replied tersely, “Except I am certain my mother will be stopping in to check on me and there will be trouble for all if I am not in my dress by then.”

“But my lady-” Rosette protested, looking around nervously. The silent one, Juliet, merely move forward and began to take Kagami’s dressing gown, setting it to the side and going for the lacing on her wedding gown, “Jule-” Rosette started then stopped to cough, “Juliet what are you doing?”

“The Lady wants to put her wedding gown on Rose,” she replied, “Our duty as her maids are to do as she orders us.”

“But, but-”

“Rose,” Juliet silenced her, “Help me do as the lady asks, you know I always have trouble with the stays,”

Rose opened her mouth again, but paused. Kagami didn’t notice the gleam that entered the blonde’s eyes, “Of course Juliet. Let me help you with those trickey knots.”

MLB

“Thank goodness,” Luka heaved a sigh of relief as the church came into sight through the window of the hired hack, “We made it just in time.”

“On time?” Lila asked, somewhat irritable from the hell’s pace Luka had paid the driver to use, “We’re downright early! The wedding hasn’t even started yet.”

“That is the whole point my dear,” Luka replied as he helped her alight from the carriage, “We’re not going to cause a scandal if we can help it. At least, not as big a one as we would if we burst in and ordered them to stop.”

“Pity,” Lila pouted, “And I always did have a flair for the dramatic.”

“Believe me, I’ve noticed,” Luka muttered, “And we would have been here with plenty more time to enact my plan if you hadn’t fussed so much about your dress.”

“My apologies,” Lila said snidely, “But I am meeting the man who holds my heart after several months apart, at his wedding to someone else no less; forgive me if I want to look my best and remind him of what he’s giving up on.”

“You do realize he wouldn’t have given up on you, right?” Luka reminded her, “He’s only marrying her for her money, she’s only marrying him for his title. He’s already thinking about you, so you don’t need to fuss so much about your appearance.”

“It doesn’t hurt though,” Lila countered.

The pirate king sighed, “Fine, fine, but don’t go blaming me…”

“Blame you, for what?”

“You’ll see…” he led her around to the back of the church and knocked three times in a specific pattern. The door opened after a moment or two, revealing another man. He looked scruffy, even through his nice clothing, “Théo,” he greeted.

“Luka,” the other man replied, “Nice to see you again.”

“How’s being a landlubber?” Luka asked.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Théo joked, “Come on, your sister and Rose have been attempting to distract her for way too long now.” he spared a glance at Lila, “This the vixen which caused all the trouble?”

“You could say that,”

Théo raised a brow and crossed his arms, “Can’t say I don’t see why the poor dandy wouldn’t go to all this, if it got me back where she was. I’d probably do the same, if it meant being able to stay with Mireille. Now come on, the wedding’s set to begin sooner than later.”

“Thanks Théo,” Luka said as they walked past, “How is Mireille anyways?”

“Expecting,” Théo replied as he made certain the door closed behind them, “Though, I can’t say I expect  _ you’ll _ be around for the joyous occasion, will you?”

“If rumors of her mother’s temper are to be believed,” Luka said, “Not for a few months yet, at the very  _ least _ . This is all of course, assuming she goes with me.”

“If she doesn’t want ye after all you’ve done, it’s her loss mate,” Théo told him, “Good luck.”

“Same to you,”

“Who was that?” Lila asked as they followed the indicated directions to where Luka’s supposed lady-love lay in wait.

“Name’s Théo Barbot,” Luka explained, “A jack of all trades I was lucky enough to sail with for a good while. He stopped when he met his wife Mireille while at port, and they settled in Paris. I wrote him when we docked down south and asked him to try and get an in so we would be allowed through the back. Thankfully, Théo’s always been able to pull through when you need him. Now, shh,” he held a finger to his lips, “We’re here.”

Rose answered the door and heaved a sigh of relief, “Oh good,” she whispered, “You’re here. We’ve been trying to delay her for way too long. She’s a tenacious one captain,”

Luka paused a moment, if Kagami had been trying to get into her dress… was he making a big mistake? Oh well, too late to turn back now.

“Rosette?” he heard her voice, after so long at sea he heard her voice again. And love-struck fool that he was, Luka drank it in like a man who’d been deprived of water for days, “Who is at the door?”

“An important visitor,” Rose called over her shoulder, “May we admit them?”

A moment of pause and then he heard her sigh, “Very well.”

And Luka hesitated, Lila looked at him, slightly concerned.

“Ah,” he quickly replied, nearly forgetting to whisper in his haste, “You go first. I, I need a moment,”

And how it was that the mighty king of the pirates, a man who had seduced more than his fair share of beautiful women was laid low by the frantic beating of his heart and the soft-spoken words of one fierce little fencer.

Lila hesitantly entered the room. The woman Jalil had chosen to marry was certainly beautiful, but not in the same way she was. It was, for a moment, hard to believe that her silly little historian was thinking entirely of her in regards to this marriage. The woman, Kagami Luka had said her name was, looked curiously at her.

“And who,” she began, speaking perfect French, “May I ask, are you?”

“I,” Lila’s tongue faltered, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to speak in rapid-fire Italian, solely for the sake of confounding and confusing the young woman.

Kagami’s expression was impassive, but imperious, and she raised a brow, “Well?”

“Mademoiselle,” Luka’s voice cut in, “Is that really any way to act on one’s wedding day?”

Immediately the coldness in Kagami’s expression melted for one of surprise and was Lila wrong, or was that fondness in her expression?

“Luka?” her voice, already soft but rather harsh at the same time, softened further. She sounded positively smitten, “Is it, is it really you?”

Footsteps echoed in the room. Juleka and Rose had very quickly vacated as Luka entered. Lila couldn’t help feeling a little left out, the way those two stared at each other, it was as though nothing else in the world existed. Kagami seemed actually expressive instead of carefully reserved.

“Aye,” he nodded, “I came back, couldn’t let you get married without at least stopping by to say hello, right?”

Immediately, her face fell, it fell further when she looked back and forth between him and Lila and seemed to come to some conclusion, “Oh,” she said, sounding incredibly disappointed, “Oh of course. And I take it this woman is your… guest?”

Somehow that moment of hesitation and uncertainty gave Lila the confidence she needed to speak up, “As a matter of fact, no,” she said determinedly, “I am the one your intended actually holds in his heart. You know, the one I’m sure you’ve been told is his whole reason for marrying you?”

Her callousness seemed to bring Kagami back to herself, and the woman folded her arms, “I see, and you came here to ruin my wedding because?”

Lila folded her own arms in response, “Like I would know. Why don’t you ask him?” she jerked a thumb in Luka’s direction, “He’s the one who kidnapped me after all,”

Immediately Kagami’s attention was back on Luka, “You did  _ what _ now?” she hissed.

“Pirate,” Luka gave her a roguishly disarming grin as his excuse, “Or did I neglect to tell you that?”

Kagami sighed and shook her head, “Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me. But why kidnap my fiance’s love? Why bring her all the way here? Why are  _ you _ here anyways?”

“I…” and suddenly any nerve Luka had was lost, “I…”

Oh goodness, they really were too much, weren’t they? Again, it was up to Lila to move things along, wasn’t it?

“If I recall correctly, the exact words he used when I asked a similar question were, and I quote, “The man you love is intending on marrying the woman  _ I  _ love; and both a man and a pirate, I simply cannot let that stand.” end quote.”

Kagami’s gaze flicked from Luka to Lila and back again, her mouth dropped slightly open in shock. She looked like she couldn’t believe what she had heard. Lila sighed,

“Look, I know I’m not exactly trustworthy at the moment, or in general,” she muttered that last part to herself, “But I have no reason to lie to you now. Wait, that’s not entirely right. I  _ do _ have every reason to lie to you, since you’re the one Jalil is marrying, but I swear to you I’m not.”

Kagami returned her gaze to Luka, “Is she telling the truth?”

“I…” again Luka hesitated, but not because it wasn’t the truth, it was because it  _ was _ the truth and somehow that was harder to spit out, “I…”

“Yes?” Kagami implored, eyes earnest and hopeful.

“I…”

“Oh for the love of- just spit it out already!” came Lila’s frustrated voice. When the other two turned to look at her she grew somewhat sheepish, “Ah, I can see that my presence here is somewhat unwanted. I will just go converse with Rose and Juleka for right now.”

And then, it was just the two of them. The lack of an audience made Luka somehow even more nervous.

“Luka,” Kagami began slowly, “Was she telling the truth? Do you love me?”

“I wish I had my instrument,” Luka cursed.

Kagami tilted her head to the side, “Why?”

“I’m not very good with words, you know this,” Luka rubbed at the back of his neck, “I want to say something, but I’m afraid it will come out wrong,”

“It’s not a matter of right words or wrong words, it’s a matter of yes, or no. Answer the question Luka, do you love me, or not?”

Luka cupped her face in his hands and bent his head down. His kiss was soft and tender, but full of barely repressed longing. Kagami’s hands came over his, holding him even as he held her. After what felt like both an eternity and only a few moments he pulled away. The steel in his eyes was resolute as he gave a curt not, “I love you,” he breathed, “I love you so much I kidnapped a woman so that I could convince you not to marry this man. Because he doesn’t love you, because he could never love you, not as much as I love you anyways. I know, I know I was foolish and probably hasty, but I couldn’t think of anything else to-”

A finger at his lips silenced him, “I love you too,” Kagami admitted, “So much so that I couldn’t actually go through with this. And luckily for you, neither could Comte Kubdel.”

“Then the ceremony,”

“Was for appearance’s sake,” Kagami nodded, “The preacher already knew not to have us sign the document. We were just doing it because everything was already prepared, we figured we could give them a show at least.”

“Is that what you plan on doing still?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, “Did you have something else in mind?”

“Part of me wants to make a scene, just for the theatrics of it,” Luka chuckled, “I think the mantle of pirate king makes one a mite more dramatic than normal.”

“Only a mite?” Kagami laughed softly, “What about the other part?”

“The other part prefers subterfuge above all else,” Luka replied.

“Oh really?” Kagami could already see the mischievous light in his eyes, “And how would one go about doing that?”

“That depends,” Luka informed her, “On the choice you want to make. Once we do this, you know we won’t be able to come back,”

“Ever?”

“I really don’t know,”

Kagami looked around the room. The ceremony was set to begin very, very soon. Her mother would be expecting her. Everything had built up to this, and Paris had always been her home. There would be no time to warn anyone. Her eyes fell on a small note set she’d brought in case she needed to send a servant on a last minute errand, and she had an idea.

MLB

Marinette clutched Nathalie’s free hand tightly as they watched the bride proceed down the aisle. Jalil was already waiting with the minister. Her steps were rather halting, as though she weren’t certain of how to move in the dress. Which was odd, Madame would have seen to it Kagami wouldn’t make anything less than a perfect scene during this highly important day. But unlike Audrey Bourgeois, Madame had tact and wouldn’t lay into her daughter about this until they were behind closed doors with no one else to hear them. And who knew? Maybe she would be so happy about the political alliance she wouldn’t say anything at all.

But Marinette felt she knew the truth. Kagami didn’t want to get married, and she was trying to stop it, and not feeling strong enough to. The veil obscured the finer details of Kagami’s form from the eyes of the visitors, but as she passed by Marinette couldn’t help but feel as though something was off. Though the short second glance she got at the bride’s form probably wasn’t nearly enough to be able to tell concretely, but was Marinette hallucinating, or had Kagami’s hair miraculously gotten longer?

They were at the I dos before anyone noticed anything amiss. And then it was only because the game was given away for them.

“Do you, Jalil Kubdel, take Kagami Tsurugi to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

Jalil took a deep breath. Pretend, this was all nothing but pretend, “I do,” he agreed.”

The minister turned to the bride, “And do you, Kagami Tsurugi, take Jalil Kubdel to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live.”

There was a moment of deafening silence and then she spoke, “I would love to say I would,” she spoke, loud and authoritatively. But the hushed gasp that rippled across the crowd revealed that it was  _ not _ Kagami’s voice, “But I will not be married to anyone under someone else’s name,” the woman declared, throwing back her veil and revealing-

“Lila?” Jalil couldn’t believe it. Lila was here, in front of him, and wearing what was supposed to be Kagami’s wedding dress. He had so many questions, but despite his desire for answers one thing trumped all else, the elation he felt at having her so near to him once again.

“Lila,” the minister repeated, “Is that your name young lady?”

“Si,” she replied, “Lila Rossi, daughter to the ambassador of Italia.”

“Well, you’re a long way from home,” the minister laughed, “What’s brought you here?”

“You want the truth?” Lila asked, “I came here… I came here to stop the man I love from making a grave mistake, the way I did when I sent him away, and made him think he needed to marry someone for their money in order to have me back. I would rather live poor but proud at your side than as your dirty little secret mi amor,” she looked at Jalil, “The question is, would you do the same?”

“Without any regrets whatsoever,” Jalil immediately replied, taking her hands in his own. A good chunk of the congregation couldn’t help letting out a small sound of warmth at the sight the two made together.

“Well then,” said the minister, “Shall we proceed with the ceremony or no?”

“Si,” the pair at the altar said at once, causing a small ripple of humor to roll through the congregation.

In their pew, Marinette couldn’t help but let out a smile. So this was what Kagami meant when she’d said she had everything under control. The minister married them, and they shared a tender kiss. There was a small gala of sorts held after the wedding, a way to celebrate the union, though many people were certain there wasn’t much the Madame wanted to be celebrating at all. Her daughter was gone, and another woman had married Madame’s ticket into the upper class.

Adrien stood away from the crowds. He wanted to dance with Marinette, but she was under strict surveillance from his father and Nathalie. As it was, Adrien nursed his drink and watched the festivities. A small tap at his shoulder startled him, when he turned around he saw the bride, Lila.

She looked amused, “Apologies if I have startled,” she said with just barely restrained laughter, “Am I to presume you are the young Lord Agreste?”

“I- how did you know that?” he asked.

“My instructions were quite clear, as a matter of fact,” Lila replied, “I was told to find the young Lord Agreste, and was informed I would be able to tell him apart from his blonde hair and rather lonely demeanor. You’re not one for parties, are you?” she asked.

“Not particularly,” Adrien admitted, “Alright, so you’ve found me, what is it you needed to do so for?”

Lila didn’t answer for a moment, preoccupied with something else. Her eyes lingered over him, making Adrien feel slightly uncomfortable.

“Well?” he snapped, which he hadn’t meant to do, but had done all the same.

“Apologies,” Lila shook her head slightly, “I got a little distracted,”

“I noticed,”

“It’s just,” she let out a small laugh, “If I weren’t already married you would be the type of man I’d chase after tenaciously. You really are an appealing man your grace,”

Adrien felt his cheeks heat, “Ah, yes,” he coughed, Well-”

“Oh have no fear,” Lila assured him, “I have no intention of acting in a wanton or otherwise untoward manner. Not when I have Jalil,” she shook her head, “Anyways, I was instructed to give you this,” she held out a sealed envelope with script running across the top, “She said you’d know who to give it to.”

Adrien took the letter and saw Marinette’s name scrawled across it in a feminine hand, “I do indeed. Thank you Lady Kubdel, for all your assistance,”

“Not at all,” Lila waved it off, “Enjoy the rest of the party, your grace,” and with that she was away.

Adrien made his way to his Father’s table and discreetly handed the missive to his covert fiance, “For you, my dear, I can’t  _ imagine _ who it’s from.”

Marinette took one look at the script and knew, “That’s Kagami’s handwriting,” she murmured, breaking the seal and looking at the letter, muttering certain parts of it aloud, “Dear Marinette… I know you must be shocked, -no kidding Kagami- uh… I’m happy… went off with the man I really love… will try to be back in time for your wedding… might not be able to see us, but we’ll be there. Will try to write, but am unsure of how often we will pass Paris-bound ships as we sail. Enjoy your life Marinette. Your dear friend, Kagami,”

Marinette set the letter aside, “Looks like Kagami’s eloped,” she informed her guardians and fiance. The men looked shocked, Nathalie merely asked,

“Who’s the lucky man who’s incurred Madame’s undying hatred and venomous wrath?”

“If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it’s Luka,” Marinette replied, a wan smile stretching across her face, “I always knew there was something between them.”

“Yes well,” Nathalie remarked, “Far easier to see something with a little distance than what’s right in front of you and all that, right?”

Marinette gave a genuine smile at that, “Right,” she agreed. The rest of the night waned away and people went home. Lila surprised her new spouse with a gift they hadn’t opened around everyone else,

“A little present from Kagami’s beau,” she explained as Jalil examined the small chest. It was filled with gold, jewels, and pearls, “It’s enough to allow us to honeymoon in Rome, and if we use it wisely, it may even get us to Egypt.”

Jalil pressed kisses to her face, punctuating each one with part of a sentence, “You. Are. A. Godsend.”

“Don’t thank me,” Lila smiled, “Thank the Pirate King, and his soon to be queen.”

“You don’t mean-”

“I do,”

“Who would have thought,” Jalil remarked, “Kagami Tsurugi, Queen of the Pirates,”

“Sounds like the stuff of fairy tales,” Lila agreed.

“More so than bride-switching at the wedding?” Jalil teased.

The newly married couple stared at the night sky, as did Kagami and Luka onboard the Liberté as it set sail away from France. Marinette and Adrien wished their love a peaceful night’s sleep, while Nino and Alya shared a kiss goodnight at her family’s door. Gabriel and Nathalie lay curled together in their bed, and Chloe wished with all her heart that her wedding day would come soon. The servants led their lives, writing to inform the others of the whirlwind of elite life, and sending well wishes all around. And the sky that so many in Paris and out stared at, shone brightly with its diamond stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you guys for reading this. This whole thing has been one amazing journey that I've been so glad to share with you guys. I read and keep every comment and they really keep me going when I've had a bad day. I hope this story has brought joy to your life when you needed. Until next time everyone

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all liked it. Leave a comment and let me know. Until next time everyone


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